


geronimo

by lagatos



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Beach Resort AU, M/M, Summer Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-02 17:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4067869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lagatos/pseuds/lagatos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"beach resort au" where Bokuto Koutarou works in a small tourist town's beach resort, renting out kayaks and surfboards for people he'll never see again. Akaashi Keiji moves into town for the summer for a photography internship and Bokuto insists on showing him how the natives live.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> when u live in a beach town but it's unseasonably cold so you just write a fic instead

“Who is that?”

            Kuroo grunted, his line casting short by several feet, his weight tumbling around the surf. He glanced up at Bokuto for a moment before looking back at his line, concentrating on reeling it back in. “What?”

            “No, who,” Bokuto said, his search for sand fleas completely abandoned as he pointed some ways down the beach.

            The shore was empty this time of day, all the day-trippers gone before the air could turn cool and the beach house renters all returned home for dinner. Bokuto liked this time of day best—the sky was just turning pink at the edges, wisps of gold clouds just brushing the ocean on the horizon. The sand was cool to the touch, the ghost crabs just starting to pop out of their holes for the night.

            Kuroo squinted, following Bokuto’s sandy finger to a lone figure down the shore a bit, his silhouette dark against the setting sun.

            “Huh.” Kuroo slipped his pole into its stake, placing a hand like a visor over his eyes as he looked over. “I’m not sure.”

            “They don’t look like a beach clubber,” Bokuto said, wiping his sandy hands off on his shorts. The figure was in tall boots and a jacket, picking their way delicately over the sand as if they weren’t sure they liked it yet. “Or one of us.”

            “I don’t think he works here,” Kuroo said, picking his pole back up. “I don’t recognize him. Or maybe Ukai hired someone new.” Kuroo seemed to ponder this for a second before deciding he didn’t care, pulling his pole closer to grab the empty hook. “Did you get more sand fleas?”

            “‘He?’ You think it’s a he?”

            Kuroo sighed, holding out his hand. “Yeah, looks like it. Where’s my sand flea?”

            Bokuto scooped up a pile of wet sand, pinching a fat one between his fingers before handing it to Kuroo. “You think he’s the new swim instructor we need?”

            Kuroo was quiet for a moment, slipping the sand flea onto his hook before casting again, watching his line hit just past the surf. “Maybe,” he said eventually, unconcerned as he started reeling back in.

            Bokuto sat back in the sand, watching as the figure messed with something he was carrying, eventually propping a three-legged stick into the sand. His movements were careful, refined. As if he moved slowly enough, sand wouldn’t stick everywhere like it always inevitably does. The figure crouched down, messing with something for what felt like forever.

            “Bokuto?”

            The figure had moved behind the three-legged stick, and even from this distance, Bokuto could tell he was facing them now.

            “Bokuto!”

            A handful of sand hit Bokuto in the face and he jumped, leaping up to grab the water bucket as Kuroo shouted in excitement, reeling something in in the surf.

            “White fish!” Bokuto exclaimed, racing into the surf to slip it off the hook with expert fingers. He threw the fish into the bucket with the rest of the smaller ones they’d caught, hardly noticing the water now soaking the bottoms of his cargo shorts.

            “Alright,” Kuroo said, reeling in the line with a grin. “Enough for dinner.”

            They made quick work of packing up the weights and hooks, Kuroo detaching the fishing pole as Bokuto crouched down, watching the four small fish bump around the small bucket they had. The sun had really started to set now, Bokuto barely able to see into the bucket as the sky faded to the dark blue of dusk. Kuroo picked up the pole and tackle box, the both of them heading over for the outskirts of the beach resort in the growing darkness.

            Bokuto checked behind him, just catching the smudge of the figure on the horizon, his silhouette crouched over the sand.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

            “Guess who brought dinner!”

            Kuroo strode through the awning of the outdoor bar, leaving the broken down fishing pole leaning against the wall. Oikawa and Iwaizumi turned to look at him from their perch on the stools by the bar, Oikawa pumping his fist in cheer as Iwaizumi gave him a wave.

            “Good, I’m starved,” Oikawa said, throwing a hand dramatically over his forehead.

            “Surprising, after you went to town on the snack bar today,” Iwaizumi said, flicking the brim of Oikawa’s straw hat.

            “ _Iwa-chan_ ,” Oikawa said, readjusting his hat as he gave Iwaizumi an offended look. “So rude. Nobody ever talks about how you eat hamburgers like a brute.”

            Bokuto hopped up on a bar stool as they bickered, grinning broadly as he presented the fish they’d just caught after clocking out for the day.

            “Get that off my bar,” Daichi said, giving the grimy water bucket a look before Bokuto even fully set it down on the countertop.

            “Aw, you’re no fun,” Bokuto said, faking a pout as Kuroo took the stool next to him.

            “You know I have to open up in half an hour,” Daichi said, taking a rag to wipe over where the bucket had barely touched the bar. He turned to Kuroo, who had leaned over the counter, looking at the liquor selection Daichi had for the night. “And don’t get fingerprints on my bar. You stink like fish.”

            Kuroo lifted his palms in surrender and Bokuto laughed, following suit.

            “I guess we won’t bring you dinner, then,” Kuroo said, waving his hand airily.

            “Daichi really will starve,” Oikawa said, putting his palms down directly over the area Daichi had just wiped. He cackled as Daichi glared at him, hopping off his stool lightly before picking up the fish bucket. Kuroo followed suit, slipping off his seat with a wave.

            “We’ll go start cooking,” he said, picking up his fishing pole. “And I’ll take a shower so I smell nice and clean,” he directed at Daichi, giving him a lazy grin. He followed Oikawa off the patio, snickering as Oikawa leaned over to tell him something.

            Bokuto watched them go, kicking his feet against the bar as he hummed tunelessly. On Fridays they always cooked dinner together, Kuroo and Oikawa manning the grill while Bokuto and Iwaizumi usually made something in the kitchen, the lot of them bringing leftovers to Daichi at the end of the night for late drinks at the empty bar. Ukai usually went somewhere else for the night, so nobody was around to watch them.  

            “Where’s Suga?” Iwaizumi said, switching stools so that he sat closer to Bokuto and Daichi.

            “Suga?” Daichi wiped at a glass in his hand, setting it down carefully underneath the bar before looking back up at them. “There was some kind of mix up at the front desk. He’s sorting out two reservations that got switched.”

            “That blows,” Iwaizumi said, leaning an elbow on the bar. “He always makes the best dessert.”

            Daichi laughed, leaning his weight on the bar. “Yeah, that’s the only reason I keep him around.”

            “Ukai should really hire a second person for the front desk if he’s always working this late.”

            “Oh, Daichi!” Bokuto kicked his feet out against the bar, perking up as he leaned across the counter. “Have you heard of Ukai hiring anyone new recently?”

            “Hm.” Daichi tapped his chin, thinking for a moment. “Not that I recall.”

            “I didn’t see anyone new on the beach today,” Iwaizumi said.

            “Maybe he’s a swim instructor, then,” Bokuto said, mostly to himself.

            “Who?”

            The bell tower a few miles away struck distantly, Daichi checking his watch before flipping over the open sign by the front of the bar.

            Bokuto shrugged, leaping off his bar stool as he felt his stomach let out a loud growl. “Don’t know,” he said, heading to the side of the bar to pick up the tackle box Kuroo had left behind. “I’ll see you after dinner, Daichi.”

            Iwaizumi said his goodbyes as Bokuto tapped his foot irregularly against the tiled patio, humming to himself as they finally took off together. The sky was almost completely dark now, Bokuto craning his neck back to look at the smattering of stars just beginning to twinkle overhead. The moon shimmered across the water as they walked along the path, Bokuto swinging the tackle box as he looked out over the ocean.

            “So who were you talking about before?”

            “I don’t know,” Bokuto said, stopping on the path. Iwaizumi’s flip flops slapped against the pavement as he stopped walking abruptly, backpedaling to where Bokuto had already left the path and started walking across the sand. “I didn’t meet him yet.”

            “Where are you going?”

            Bokuto hitched up the tackle box, feeling the cool sand on his feet as he headed for the shoreline. “Let’s take the short cut.”

            “That’s not really a short cut…” Bokuto heard Iwaizumi say, before he sighed and followed him down into the sand. They passed a few couples out for a late night walk, the light of their flashlights bouncing across the sand.

            “We’re looking for someone,” Bokuto said cheerily, speeding up a bit as they left the lights of the resort behind, only the sound of the waves in front of them now.

             “Are we?”

            “Mm-hmm.” Bokuto stopped just at the shoreline, the waves lapping slightly at his toes as he looked out down the beach. “He was over there.”

            Iwaizumi stood just a bit above the waves, his arms folded as he glanced where Bokuto had pointed.

            “I don’t see anything.”

            Bokuto squinted, trying to find the lone figure on the dark horizon.

            “Do you want to walk down the beach to find him?” Iwaizumi kicked at a patch of seaweed, turning to face Bokuto. “Did he say he was going to meet you here?”

            “Nah.” Bokuto found himself grinning despite not finding anyone. He headed for the distant lights of the employees’ bungalows, kicking sand in front of him as he went. “I think he left. Let’s go make dinner!”

            Iwaizumi joined him, the two of them walking side by side in the dark. Bokuto glanced behind him one more time, but the shoreline remained empty.

 

 

 

***

 

 

            “God, my arms are so sore.”

            Bokuto flopped onto his bed, feeling gritty sand underneath him coating the comforter. The warmth from the drinks Daichi had smuggled them at the end of the night spread to his limbs, his body feeling heavy. He kicked off his flip flops, crawling up the bed to shake his blankets off. Kuroo stood at the foot of his own bed, circling his arm around the socket as he made a face.

            “You were training with that one lady for forever,” Bokuto said, settling down under the covers.

            “Yeah, I had to show her the right way to stand up on a surfboard close to a hundred times,” Kuroo said, collapsing on his own bed.

            “The life of a surf instructor is a hard one,” Bokuto quipped, burrowing into his blankets as the air conditioning in their shared bungalow kicked on again.

            “Shut up, you barely had to do anything today,” Kuroo said, smashing his face into his pillows.

            Bokuto laughed, rolling onto his side so he could see Kuroo. “I got to watch you fall off your board from the safety of the rental shack.”

            “Shut up,” Kuroo groaned, throwing a pillow at Bokuto, who just laughed again. He reached to turn off the light between them, their room plunged into darkness. Bokuto rolled onto his back, listening to the faint sound of Oikawa laughter from their common area, Iwaizumi’s voice rumbling in reply.

            “I asked around to see if anyone new was hired today,” Bokuto said into the darkness. Kuroo just grunted, Bokuto hearing his covers shift as he got more comfortable. “Nobody.”

            It was quiet for a few moments, Bokuto shifting to look over at Kuroo’s bed. He saw his silhouette against the dark of the room, his back rising and falling evenly. “Isn’t that weird?” he added, after he realized Kuroo wasn’t going to answer him.

            Kuroo sighed, rolling over so his back was facing Bokuto. “Not really.”

            “But what about that guy on the beach today!”

            “Who?”

            Bokuto propped himself up on his elbow, squinting at Kuroo in the dark. “The person on the beach while we were fishing.” He hesitated, waiting for Kuroo to turn around. “Kuroo?”

            “I don’t know, man,” Kuroo sighed. “Why do you care?”

            “This town is so small,” Bokuto said. “We know _everyone_ who lives here. Do you think he moved?”

            “Tourists go through this place all the time,” Kuroo said, pulling the covers up over his head.

            “Yeah, but he wasn’t a tourist,” Bokuto said, mumbling to himself as he flipped over, burying his face in his pillow. Bokuto sighed, the liquor from the night making him feel heavy as he closed his eyes. He loved Kuroo and Iwaizumi and everyone else he’d grown up with in this town, he really did, but he wanted _more_. The beach resort they’d worked at for years sprawled across half of the town’s shore, in walking distance of the one street of shops for miles. Bokuto could probably name everyone who lived here year round from memory.

            If anyone had moved here, Bokuto was going to meet him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fish touchin

“Hey, Bokuto.”

            Bokuto dipped his paddle into the water, pulling himself alongside the small sailboat Iwaizumi sat in. Oikawa was at the head of the boat, hunched over the logbook, his straw hat blocking Bokuto from seeing his face.

            “Nobody to take sailing today?” Bokuto asked, angling his paddleboard so the slow rolling waves wouldn’t rock him away from the boat.

            “It’s a slow Saturday,” Iwaizumi said, tapping the side of the boat.

            “A couple signed up for the 2:15 slot,” Oikawa said, lifting his head up to wave at Bokuto. “Nothing to do until then.”

            Bokuto nodded, looking out at the beach dotted with lounge chairs and colorful umbrellas. Kuroo was on the shore teaching a line of kids the right way to push themselves up on their surfboards, looking official in his red shorts and whistle. Iwaizumi and Oikawa worked out of the same rental shed that Bokuto and Kuroo did, Ukai leaving them in charge of leading sailing lessons and boat rides.

            “What did you say that guy you were looking for yesterday looked like again?”

            Oikawa cocked his head, looking up at Iwaizumi as he watched Bokuto bob up and down on the waves.

            “I’m not sure what he looks like,” Bokuto said, shifting his weight on the paddleboard. “I just know that he moved here recently.”

            “Somebody new?” Oikawa said, his eyes lighting up.

            “Yeah!” Bokuto slapped his paddle against the water, ignoring as Iwaizumi flinched from the splash. _Finally_ someone was showing some interest. “Probably from some far away land.”

            Oikawa just laughed, holding his hat as a gust of wind blew across the water, Bokuto drifting from the anchored boat.

            “Really?” Iwaizumi shifted on the side of the boat, pointing a finger down the beach. “Because there’s somebody down there who definitely doesn’t look like they’ve ever been to a beach in their life.”

            “Where?” Bokuto turned so fast he almost lost balance on his paddleboard, wobbling dangerously as he twisted himself to face the other way. Somebody was down the beach a bit from the rest of the guests, sporting the thick pair of boots Bokuto had seen him wear before and a jacket too heavy for the heat. He was positioned in front of a camera balanced on a tripod, taking pictures of the shoreline.

            “That’s him!”

            Bokuto hopped slightly on his board, slamming his paddle down on the side of the boat to steady himself. Iwaizumi yanked the paddle from his hands as it clattered loudly against the plastic, placing it at the bottom of their boat.

            “He looks kind of…interesting,” Oikawa said skeptically, tilting his sunglasses down to get a better look. “Isn’t he hot in that jacket?”

            “Maybe he just moved from Iceland.” Bokuto licked his lips, turning to Oikawa. “It’s cold there, right?”

            “Definitely colder than here,” Iwaizumi said.

            “Maybe he’ll tell us about his adventures,” Bokuto said, looking back out down the beach as the figure adjusted something on his camera.

            “Maybe he can take me back somewhere where it isn’t a thousand degrees year round,” Oikawa said, fanning his face with the logbook. He squinted down the beach, watching the figure for a moment. “Do you think he’s allowed to take pictures here like that?”

            “Maybe he got permission from Ukai,” Iwaizumi said

            “He could have,” Bokuto said, ripping his sunglasses off as he turned to look back at the figure on the beach. “I’ll go ask him!”

            Bokuto tossed his sunglasses into their boat, ignoring Iwaizumi’s shout of surprise as he dove into the water. He broke the surface, turning around to tread water for a moment as he looked back at Iwaizumi and Oikawa.

            “You guys can take my paddleboard back to the shed, yeah?” He swam a few strokes, Oikawa’s protests gone unheard as he got closer to shore. “Thanks!”

            He waved to Kuroo as he got to the beach, ignoring his confused stare as he took off down the shore. Sand flew out behind him as he ran, the stranger peeking curiously out from behind his camera as Bokuto sped up to him.

            “Hey!”

            Bokuto skidded to a stop in front of his tripod, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Sweat dripped down his brow and he wiped at it, glancing at the confused face behind the camera. Up this close, Bokuto could see how pale his skin was, like he almost never spent time outside. He was slender, built more like Suga at the front desk than anyone he worked with outside.

            “Hey,” Bokuto said again, standing up to flash him a grin as he finally caught his breath. He held out his hand, ignoring the way he stared at him with wide eyes. “I’m Bokuto. I work here at the beach resort.”

            The guy sat back for a moment, clearly taken aback.

            “Hi,” he finally said, hesitantly holding out his own hand to shake. “Akaashi.”

            “Akaashi,” Bokuto said, giving his hand an enthusiastic pump. “Nice to meet you.” He put his hands on his hips, surveying the tripod and camera Akaashi had set up. “Whatcha doing here?”

            “Oh. I’m sorry,” Akaashi said, worrying at his bottom lip as he looked up at Bokuto. “Am I on private property?” He stood up, already reaching for his camera. “I can leave. I’m new here, I didn’t know I was intruding.”

            “No, no, no,” Bokuto said, backpedaling as quickly as he could. “You’re fine!” He hesitated a moment, checking back behind him. “I mean, probably. I saw you yesterday on the beach and I was just wondering what you were up to.”

            “Oh.” Akaashi glanced behind Bokuto, looking skeptical as he took in the resort behind him. “I’m working on a film series.” He glanced back at Bokuto, still looking a little uncertain. “I can leave if it’s a problem.”

            “Nah. Well.” Bokuto tapped his chin, trying to think what Ukai would say. “I can ask my boss about it. He should be around this afternoon.”

            “Okay.” Akaashi looked a little more reassured, reaching for his camera. “I’ll leave for now, then.”

            “Alright,” Bokuto said, trying to hide the dejection in his voice. He perked up after a moment, smiling as he stood up straighter. “I get off work at five, I can meet you back here and let you know.”

            Akaashi knelt down in the sand, fiddling with something on his tripod. “Okay. Thanks,” he said, giving Bokuto a small smile. “I can meet you here.”

            “Great!”

            Somebody let out a shout behind him and he glanced back reluctantly, seeing Kuroo’s head turned his way down the shore. “I guess I should go back to work. See you later.”

            Akaashi waved and he took a few steps away, hesitating before jogging back again.

            “Akaashi, where are you from?”

            He looked up from his camera, squinting against the sun, his expression slightly taken aback.

            “Um—Fukurodani.”

            Bokuto’s eyes went wide. “Is that in Iceland?”

            “Ah—no.” He ducked down, hiding his face, and if Bokuto didn’t know any better, he’d think he was laughing. “It’s a few hours inland from here.”

            “So have you ever been to the beach before?”

            Akaashi glanced at the sand for a moment, thinking. “I probably went when I was younger.”

            “But you don’t remember?!”

            Somebody shouted again behind him, Bokuto turning around to see Kuroo waving his arms over his head and pointing to a group of people at the rental shack.

            “Shit. I mean, sorry. I have to go!” Bokuto backed up, waving to Akaashi before turning to jog back up the shore. “Bye!”

            He glanced behind him once, catching Akaashi shaking his head slightly at his camera, a small smile on his face.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

            “Where was he from again?”

            Bokuto sat at a picnic table under the awning of the outdoor bar, chewing happily on his sandwich. Suga leaned his chin in his hand, his head cocked interestedly. The rental shack and the service desk crew usually had the same lunch break, and they all turned to Bokuto, who grinned, bits of his sandwich still visible in his teeth.

            “He’s from somewhere _very_ far away.” He paused, looking at everyone at the table in turn. “That’s why he was wearing such a heavy jacket. He’s not used to these hot summers.”

            “Didn’t you say he was from Fukurodani this morning?” Kuroo said, emptying his bag of chips into his mouth.

            “That’s only three hours from here,” Oikawa said, snickering as he bit into an orange slice.

            Bokuto stuck out his tongue, tossing a piece of crust at Kuroo’s head. “It’s still far away,” he said, waving his hand as if to brush off the specifics. “And he’s moving here.”

             “Permanently?” Kuroo shook his head, turning to smirk at Kenma. “He won’t last. He looks like Kenma whenever anyone makes him work on the beach instead of inside.”

            Kenma rolled his eyes, still glued to his phone at the very end of the picnic table. “It’s hot.”

            “It’s always hot.”

            “Why would I want to be outside on the beach where you are?” Kenma deadpanned, giving Kuroo a look before turning back to his phone.

            Suga laughed, covering his mouth as Kuroo turned to look at him.

            “Okay.” Bokuto stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “He didn’t actually say he was moving here,” he said, swallowing loudly. “But he said he was working on this film series. And series must take a long time, so he’ll be here for a while.”

            “Bokuto is going to spread all these rumors before anyone else even gets to talk to him,” Suga said, laughing.

            “No, really!” Bokuto said, sitting up straight. “He had this gigantic expensive camera and everything.”

            “Maybe he’s working with Takeda at his print shop,” Iwaizumi said, glancing down the table at Bokuto. “Remember the help wanted sign he had in his window all spring?”

            “Yeah, that’s it!” Bokuto said excitedly.

            “Maybe he’s all artsy,” Oikawa said, looking interested.

            “Somebody new was at the print store when I went to pick up the order for the souvenir shop,” Kenma said. Bokuto slammed his hands down on the table, Kenma jumping a bit in surprise.

            “Why didn’t you tell us?”

            Kenma shrugged, turning back to his phone.

            “Kenma just wanted to hog him all to himself,” Oikawa said, grinning slyly down the table. Kenma didn’t deign to look up from his phone.

            “ _And_ ,” Bokuto said, ignoring their conversation. “I’m meeting him tonight!”

            “I think it’s Bokuto who wants to hog him,” Iwaizumi said.

            Suga and Oikawa laughed, Kuroo snorting as he looked down the table. “Yeah, in bed.”

            Bokuto just waved them off, humming tunelessly as he looked down at the shore, watching the waves roll in. “Don’t you guys want to meet someone new?”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

            “Hello, Bokuto.”

            Bokuto jumped, looking up from the hook he was baiting to see Akaashi standing in front of him, shifting his weight from foot to foot in his tall boots. His heavy jacket was gone, replaced with a black t-shirt that only emphasized how pale he looked in the sun.

            “Akaashi!”

            Bokuto let go of the hooks, wiping his hands on his pants before jumping up to hold out his hand. Akaashi took it tentatively, his eyes darting to the bait bucket Bokuto had at his feet. They exchanged pleasantries, amusement playing on Akaashi’s face as Bokuto barreled excitedly through the conversation.

            “Ukai—my boss, I mean—he said it was okay to take pictures, just as long as you don’t cross over onto that beach area.” He gestured to the red flags marking the end of the guarded beach, stretching out in front of the resort.

            “That’s nice of him,” Akaashi said, putting his hands in his pockets. He glanced at the fishing pole Bokuto stood in front of, studying the baited hooks as they swayed slightly in the breeze.

            “Yeah,” Bokuto said. “His family kind of owns most of the town and beach around here. Kind of hard not to be trespassing at some point.”

            Akaashi smiled politely, glancing back at Bokuto. “It seems like a small town.”

            Bokuto nodded enthusiastically, turning back to finish baiting his hook. “It is! Kind of boring after a while.” He looked over his shoulder, smiling as he caught Akaashi’s eye. “Hey, but it’s still a nice place. Are you staying anywhere around here?”

            “Yes, actually.” Akaashi kept his eyes on Bokuto’s fingers, watching him finish baiting. “I’m staying with—ah, Takeda? Do you know him?”

            Bokuto laughed, releasing his hook. “I know everyone in this town. Yeah, he’s super great. He loves his print shop. Nice guy.”

            Akaashi just hummed, watching the hook swing slightly.

            “Is that where you’re doing your film series? What is that?”

            Akaashi’s eyes slid back to Bokuto, a flicker of warmth crossing his expression. “Yes. I needed a photography internship—apprenticeship—to work on a collection of photos. And I found this place.” He took his hands out of his pockets as he talked, gesturing to the beach around them. “It’s beautiful here.”

            Bokuto looked around them, at the pier in the distance where he’d spent long days in the summers fishing with his brothers. At the bay just peeking out from behind the buildings of the resort, the scrub of pine and marshes in between the beach and bay. He tried to imagine what it would look like to someone new, someone who hadn’t lived here for twenty years.

            “Yeah,” Bokuto said, nodding his head slowly. “It really is pretty.”

            Akaashi smiled at him, following Bokuto’s eyes to the horizon behind them.

            Bokuto ran a hand up his fishing pole, kicking at the sand underfoot. “So what kind of photos are in your collection?”

            Akaashi turned back to Bokuto, Bokuto realizing he liked the way Akaashi met his gaze steadily, no hint of shyness in his eyes. He was quiet, but he wasn’t timid.

            “The beach after hours.” He licked his lips, watching Bokuto’s reaction. “What really goes on after the tourists leave for the day.”

            Bokuto smiled, picking up his fishing pole from its stake. “That sounds really cool.” He rested the pole against his shoulder, grinning. “I saw you yesterday taking pictures at sunset.”

            Akaashi nodded, his eyes following the fishing pole as it wiggled slightly in Bokuto’s excited grip. “Was that you fishing?”

            “Yup!” Bokuto switched the fishing pole to his other hand, grinning again. “Definitely something that happens after the tourists leave.”

            Akaashi smiled politely again.

            “Hey.” Bokuto held out the fishing pole, giving Akaashi a smile. “Do you wanna try fishing? You know, get into your subject.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Live like the natives do.”

            Akaashi’s eyes took in the pole stretching above them, looking skeptical. “I’ve never fished before.”

            “What!” Bokuto held out the pole, giving it a shake. “Come on, you have to try now. It’s a rite of passage here.”

            Akaashi’s gaze skittered to the bait bucket at Bokuto’s feet. “I don’t know…”

            “Aw, come on.” He let the pole go in front of Akaashi, forcing him to grab it before it fell. “It’s easy. I baited it already and everything.”

            “Okay,” Akaashi said, not looking reassured as his held the pole gingerly.

            “You should learn to do what you’re taking photos of,” Bokuto said, putting his hands on his hips with a proud smile. “That way you can get inside your subject’s head. It’s like, the rule of good art.”

            Akaashi cracked an amused smile, shaking his head slightly, but looking more comfortable with the pole in his hands.

            “Okay.” Bokuto stood up straighter, the grin never leaving his face. “We’re catching flounder with some squid bait.” Bokuto grabbed onto the line, pulling the hooks over for Akaashi to see. “We have a heavy weight to keep everything near the bottom where the flounder are gonna bite. Wanna feel?”

            “Um—no.”

            Bokuto shrugged, reaching over to release the catch on the reel. “Okay. It’s real easy. You’re just going to keep your thumb on the line over here.” He moved Akaashi’s hand over the pole, pressing his thumb down securely on the line by the reel. “And then just back it up—”

            Bokuto pulled his arms back as if he were casting.

            “—and let her rip,” he said, releasing his invisible line. “Just make sure you take your thumb off the line as you’re casting. And aim for right after the breaking waves.”

            “Maybe you should show me how to do it first,” Akaashi said, still holding the pole a little gingerly.

            “Nah, the best way to learn is hands-on experience,” Bokuto said, nodding encouragingly.

            Akaashi sighed, shaking his head slightly as he held the pole back awkwardly, giving it a light flick towards the surf. The line came swinging through the air and back towards them, Akaashi flinching out of the way as the hooks swung near them.

            “Okay, that’s okay,” Bokuto said, reaching out a hand to steady the line. “You just took your thumb off too late. And you can cast it harder, it won’t break.” He grinned, catching Akaashi’s eye. “Don’t be afraid to really let her fly.”

            Akaashi looked back at the bait hanging off the hooks, shaking his head slightly. “I think I’m done for today,” he said, handing the pole back to Bokuto.

            “Aw.” Bokuto pouted, taking the pole back. “Here, you can watch me do it for now.” He perked up, hand going back to his hip as he gave another grin. “Then we can try again some other time.”

            “Sure,” Akaashi said.

            “Really?”

            Akaashi just nodded to the pole, gesturing for Bokuto to give a cast. “Are you going to show me how to cast?”

            “Right, right.” Bokuto reeled in the line, pulling back before letting the line fly out into the surf, Akaashi’s eyes following when he took off his thumb. It landed just after the breaking waves, a small ripple waving out.

            Bokuto turned to Akaashi, puffing out his chest proudly. “Easy stuff,” he said, starting to reel in his line slowly. He narrated what he was doing, Akaashi watching him quietly.

            “Oh!” He felt a tug on his line, pausing for a few seconds to let the fish bite before reeling in again, definitely pulling something through the surf. “Akaashi, get ready to grab this!”

            Akaashi blanched, holding back as Bokuto jumped up and down.

            “I don’t—”

            A small flounder broke through the water, sliding across the sand as Bokuto reeled it in.

            “Aw.” Bokuto ran up, holding it up slightly. “It looks a little small.” He turned to Akaashi, pointing to the cooler by his bait bucket. “Can you get the ruler on top of there?”

            Akaashi came over hesitantly, handing off the ruler and watching as Bokuto measured it and tossed it aside dejectedly.

            “Too small to keep,” he said, looking back at Akaashi. “Come on, come help me take it off the hook.”

            “I think I’ll stay back here.”

            “No way,” Bokuto said, giving him a giant grin. “You’re being a tourist. How are you going to make a film series on what _real_ people do?”

            Akaashi set his jaw, coming over to kneel next to Bokuto. “What do I have to do?”

            “Just hold him still while I de-hook him.”

            Bokuto held out the fish, waiting for Akaashi to reach out for it himself.

            “ _Ugh_.”

            The second the flounder touched Akaashi’s hands, it started wriggling, Akaashi dropping it into the sand with a disgusted sound.

            “It’s moving too much,” he said, recoiling slightly as it thrashed around on the ground.

            “Here.” Bokuto picked it up, placing it directly into Akaashi’s hands. “Get a good grip on it,” he said, making quick work of the hook as Akaashi scrunched his nose in distaste. He pulled the hook free, standing up triumphantly to survey his work.

            “Let’s put him back now, so he doesn’t die.”

            Akaashi stood up carefully, being mindful as he waded a few feet out into the waves, crouching down to release the flounder back into the water. Bokuto watched, surprised that Akaashi didn’t seem to care as waves lapped over his boots.

            “Great.” Bokuto crossed his arms across his chest, giving Akaashi a smirk. “Nice work, for a tourist.”

            “Ha, ha,” Akaashi said, walking back up to where the fishing pole was slipped back into its stake.

            “You just need more practice.”

            “Sure.”

            “Maybe we should try this again sometime,” Bokuto said, kicking at the sand underfoot. “With you casting this time.”

            Akaashi let out a small laugh under his breath, shaking his head slightly as if he couldn’t believe what he was doing. “Same time tomorrow?”

            Bokuto broke into another large grin, smiling at Akaashi. “Same time tomorrow!”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

            Bokuto dove onto the bed, Oikawa squawking as he bounced slightly on the mattress, losing his place in his book.

            “What a Saturday,” Bokuto said, rolling over onto his back to watch Iwaizumi upside-down as he rummaged across the room. Oikawa was next to him, kicking his feet out behind him as he lay on his stomach, smoothing out a page in his book.

            Iwaizumi hummed in acknowledgement, sliding open his door to step out onto the bungalow’s deck, a breeze drifting through before he closed it behind him.

            “How was your romantic sunset date?” Oikawa asked, marking a corner in his book before tossing it aside.

            “Hey, hey, Akaashi was great,” Bokuto said. “He says he moved here to take pictures for a fancy internship. ‘What life is like without tourists,’ or something like that.”

            Oikawa clucked his tongue, his feet hitting the pillows behind him. “Sounds artsy.”

            “Yeah.” Bokuto rolled over, sitting up on Oikawa’s bed to face him. “But it wasn’t a date,” he added as an afterthought.

            “I don’t kno-ow,” Oikawa sang, still kicking his feet onto the pillows behind him. “You met on the beach as the sun was going down, talked about fancy life plans…”

            “We did not!”

            “Bokuto-chan, are you blushing?” Oikawa laughed, the sound ringing out as Bokuto started kicking him off the side of the bed. Iwaizumi slid open the deck door as Oikawa hit the floor, snorting as he grabbed a sweatshirt hanging off one of the drawers of his dresser.

            “Iwa-chan,” Oikawa said, popping up from the floor, following Iwaizumi to the deck door. “Would you call it a date if you met someone in a romantic setting and talked about life plans?”

            “You can just smack him if he’s bothering you,” Iwaizumi said, leaving the door open as he walked back onto the deck. Oikawa followed, his reply muffled as the wind carried it away. Bokuto laughed, rolling off the bed to head out onto the deck that connected all the bungalow’s rooms as well.

            It was colder out here at night, Bokuto crossing his arms against the breeze that blew out to sea. Voices murmured out in the darkness of the deck, Bokuto squinting to see Kuroo and Kenma sitting on the porch swing, Suga and Daichi leaning against the railing across from them. Flashlights cut across the sand in front of them, kids screeching in delight off in the distance, light swinging jaggedly across the darkness as they ran across the resort’s beach.

            Bokuto squeezed in between Kuroo and Kenma on the porch swing, snuggling up to the side of Kuroo’s sweatshirt to warm himself up.

            “You know, you can go get your own sweatshirt from our room,” Kuroo said, laughing as he let him burrow into his side.

            “This is easier.”

            “Hey, Bokuto,” Daichi said, jumping up to sit on the side of the railing. “We’re thinking of going out tomorrow night on Main Street, are you in?”

            “Hell yes!” Bokuto sat forward, the porch swing swaying underneath them as he punched the air. Sunday nights and Monday afternoons were their only time off during the week, as that was when rentals usually ended and new customers moved into the resort for the week.

            “Wait.” Bokuto pushed their swing with his feet, Kenma huffing as they rocked back on the deck. “Can I bring somebody?”

            Bokuto couldn’t see his face, but he could sense Daichi’s confusion as he turned to Suga questioningly. “Did we forget somebody?”

            Suga laughed. “Is this Akaashi?”

            “Yes!”

            Daichi kicked his feet, letting them dangle off the railing. “Did Bokuto meet one of the beach clubbers this week? I thought they left Sunday night.”

            “No,” Bokuto said excitedly, kicking off the deck to make their swing rock faster. Kenma put his foot down, Bokuto and Kuroo almost pitching forward as it came to an abrupt stop. “Akaashi just moved here for the summer.”

             “Huh,” Daichi said. “Tomorrow will be interesting, then.”

            Bokuto hummed, pushing off on the deck again, the rusted chains squeaking overhead. “It’ll be fun.”

            He looked off at the night again, the light of the flashlights cutting crazy circles into the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am kind of loving imagining bokuto and oikawa as close friends i feel like they would have a funny dynamic


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bombs away!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> at first i was like, haha new boy akaashi would be like ben wyatt, "is he eating soup? on a bench? alone?" but then i was like wait akaashi would never hesitate to call somebody (bokuto) out on their stupidity

“All that heavy equipment is going to make it hard to fish,” Bokuto said dubiously, looking Akaashi up and down as he joined him by the water’s edge.

            “Hello, Bokuto,” Akaashi said, stopping just before the fishing pole resting in its stake. He still held onto the camera hanging around his neck, his tripod strapped in a bag over his shoulder. “The sunset looks nice today.”

            “I guess you could just put it down away from the water,” Bokuto said putting a hand to his chin as he looked behind them at the empty beach.

            Akaashi’s lip twitched, a hint of a smile ghosting over his face as he watched Bokuto. “I was thinking I could take some pictures today instead.”

            “Aw.” Bokuto picked up his fishing pole, tilting it towards Akaashi. “But I even brought artificial bait for the rig. You looked grossed out yesterday by the real thing.”

            “I was not grossed out.”

            “Were too.”

            Akaashi leveled him with an empty glare, Bokuto feeling too gleeful to bother hiding the grin plastered across his face. After so many years with the same people year round, they’d learned the art of ignoring Bokuto’s goading. When Bokuto came around to the front desk to beg Suga to join their volleyball game or stopped by the bar to convince Daichi to help him wrap a snoring Kuroo in seaweed, they just waved him away with a practiced eye roll. Akaashi was new. Bokuto smiled even wider, clapping his hands together in front of him. Akaashi could be _fun_.

            “Okay,” Bokuto said, waving his hand airily as he shouldered the fishing pole. “I guess if you’re too embarrassed about yesterday, you can just take pictures. I’ll save you the shame.” Bokuto peeked at Akaashi, reveling in the dead stare he was giving him. “You know, because fishing is really hard. Tourists never get the hang of this stuff.”

            “Okay.” Akaashi slipped the tripod bag off his shoulder, decidedly ignoring the grin on Bokuto’s face. “I was hoping to get a few shots of you fishing. It would look nice against the sunset.”

            “But fishing is kind of a two-man activity,” Bokuto said, taking a step closer to Akaashi. “I’d have to go find somebody else to keep me company.”

            “Alright.” Akaashi nodded, as if he were accepting the inevitable. “I can find another model.”

            Bokuto deflated slightly, the fishing pole hanging loosely in his grip. “Another model?”

            “It shouldn’t be hard,” Akaashi said, picking up his tripod, turning his back to Bokuto. “Everyone is always fishing here,” he said over his shoulder.

            “Wait.” Bokuto jogged after Akaashi, loose sand flying everywhere. “I could be your model.”

            Akaashi stopped, turning back around to face Bokuto. “Really?” He shifted the bag on his shoulder, looking up at Bokuto with long lashes and _whoah_ , Bokuto hadn’t noticed those before. “That would be really helpful, thank you.”

            “Uh.” Bokuto scratched the back of his head, scrunching his nose at the heat rushing to his cheeks. Akaashi watched him patiently, those dark lashes fanning over nice cheekbones as he blinked in the setting sunlight. “Y-yeah. It’s not really a problem.”

            _Cheekbones_? What the hell? Bokuto let his shoulders slump for a second, wondering if there was ever a moment in his life when he noticed someone’s cheekbones before.

            “Okay.” Akaashi blinked again and his face settled into the same heavy-lidded stare he usually had. “You can just do what you normally do. I’ll set up my camera over here.”

            Bokuto shook his head slightly so his hair flopped over his forehead, waving off the last of that strange feeling. “Would you like me to pose?” he said, grinning as he struck his hand in the air, flexing his arm as if he were some larger-than-life statue.

            Akaashi cracked a smile, readjusting his bag. “Normal fishing is fine.”

            “Alright, but you have to learn to fish sometime!” Bokuto said, jogging back to his pole. He turned around, running backwards in the sand. “You can’t live here for the summer and not know how to fish! It’s practically a rule!”

            Akaashi shook his head, a smile still on his lips as he turned to fiddle with his camera.

 

 

***

 

 

 

           

            “Kuroo,” Bokuto said desperately, making a face as he chased his shot quickly with a sip of stale coffee.

            Kuroo bounced slightly on his bed, humming as he ignored the knocking on their door, Oikawa yelling something indecipherable from outside the common area. He poured himself another shot, eying it distastefully.

            “ _Kuroo_ ,” Bokuto said again, throwing himself onto his bed to get his attention. His limbs felt heavy and warm, and he rolled over again on the bed, enjoying the slow crawl of his thoughts.

            “Yes?”

            Bokuto sat up, snickering at the sight of Kuroo parked formally over his nightstand, legs crossed, throwing back his shot as somebody (Oikawa) pounded on their door again. Kuroo grinned back, turning to give Bokuto his full attention.

            “Kuroo, have you ever noticed anyone’s cheekbones?”

            He gave Bokuto a look over the rim of his cup, finishing off the last of his soda. “Sure. You have nice cheekbones.”

            “But isn’t it weird to just go around noticing that about people?”

            Kuroo shrugged. “It happens.”

            “You _guys!_ ” Oikawa knocked on their door once more, someone else’s voice rumbling lowly before the pounding stopped. “We’re going to leave without you, slow pokes.”

            “We’re late!” Bokuto bounded up, scrambling to shove his feet into his flip flops. “We’re late, we’re late!”

            “For a very important date,” Kuroo said, taking a swig from Bokuto’s abandoned drink as he continued to _not move_.

            “Come on, we have to meet Akaashi! Remember, I told you I invited him?”

            “A _very_ important date,” Kuroo said again.

            Bokuto chucked a book at him, throwing their door open with a cackle as he heard it connect solidly with its target. Oikawa and Iwaizumi looked up from the common room, Iwaizumi still pulling on his shoes as Oikawa hovered by the door.

            “Let’s go already,” Oikawa said, opening the front door of their suite, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited just outside.

           

           

           

            “What are you in such a hurry for?” Iwaizumi said, taking his time tying his laces.

            “Yeah, the only company you need is already here,” Kuroo said, clicking their bedroom door closed as he entered the common room. He smirked lazily, lifting a hand to greet Iwaizumi.

            “Untrue,” Bokuto said. He felt a little light-headed after standing up so quickly, the room shifting around him pleasantly.

            “Yeah.” Oikawa looped his arm through Bokuto’s, pulling him through the doorway and out onto the front deck, the summer breeze catching on his flyaway hair. “I want to meet Bokuto-chan’s new friend.”

            Bokuto hummed in agreement “Let’s leave them behind,” he said, already tugging Oikawa forward.

            Kuroo just waved lazily from the common room, letting them go ahead. They trudged through the sand, heading for the cluster of buildings just past the resort, all lined up on Main Street.

           

 

 

***

 

 

            “Akaashi!”

            Bokuto hopped up at one of the back tables of the only bar in town that let in underage kids, sliding him a drink across the table, watching the condensation leave a trail across the scratched wood.

            They had all met up on Main Street, Bokuto shocked to find out Akaashi was a year younger than them as he hesitated in front of the bar. He just seemed older, he thought, with the air of calm always around him and that careful, tired expression. _And the way his lashes framed his face._

Bokuto shook his head, laughing as he pulled Akaashi to the door at the back of the bar, the both of them slipping in unnoticed. Well, almost unnoticed. Tsukishima stood behind the bar, giving them a withering look but letting them walk in nonetheless.

            “This is the only place in town we could get in when we were underage,” Bokuto had explained, leading Akaashi to a group of tables at the back of the bar. “We’re friends with the bartender. He was kind of our protégé on high school.”

            “He doesn’t particularly look like he’d call you a friend,” Akaashi had said, eying him behind the bar. Bokuto just laughed, waving him off.

            “Suga! Daichi!” Bokuto had said instead, lading Akaashi up to the two of them waiting at a back table. “Have you met Akaashi yet?”

            The night had proceeded in a blur from there, people from the resort coming and going, pushing in to talk to Akaashi, asking him about his photography, excited to see a new face. They cycled through drinks, the talk reaching a happy, scrambled babble as the night wore on, Suga and Daichi and a few more coworkers leaving to wander to the other bars scattered down the street.

            Bokuto pushed Akaashi his drink at the table, the alcohol leaving a grin fixed to his face as he rested his chin on his arms, looking up at Akaashi.

            “Thank you, Bokuto,” he said, his long fingers wrapping around the glass. Bokuto watched them smudge the condensation, a few drops of water falling to the table.

            “You always sound so formal and polite,” Kuroo said, dropping in on Akaashi’s other side, propping his chin up on his fist.

Akaashi gave Kuroo a look as he sipped at his drink, eying him over the glass. “Would you rather I be rude?”

Oikawa snorted from the head of the table, sucking on the cherry leftover from his drink. “Akaashi has manners. Unlike the other people sitting at this table.”

Bokuto sat up, making a noise of indignation. “I have manners!”

“You’re sitting at this table,” Kuroo said dryly, making a face at Oikawa. “Are you saying you don’t have manners either?”

Bokuto laughed as Oikawa spit out his cherry stem at Kuroo, Akaashi eying the trail of spit left on the tabletop.

            “So,” Iwaizumi said from Oikawa’s side, barely glancing in Kuroo and Oikawa’s direction. “How are you liking town so far?”

            “It’s nice.” Akaashi spun the straw around his drink, the ice clinking the sides of the glass. “Small.” He looked up at Iwaizumi, his eyes catching the light. “The sunsets are beautiful.”

            “They are!” Oikawa exclaimed, Iwaizumi nodding at his side.

            “Are you getting any good pictures?” Kuroo asked.

            Akaashi nodded, facing away from Bokuto as he turned to Kuroo. “They’re hard to get on film.”

            “Hey, hey,” Bokuto said, scooting closer to drape an arm over Akaashi’s shoulder. “You probably make them look even prettier than in real life.”

            Kuroo leaned forward in his seat, grinning as he caught Bokuto’s eye. “Hard to imagine, if he’s taking pictures of you.”

            “Hey—”

            “He does move a lot,” Akaashi said, a small smile on his face as he looked into his glass, shaking the last of the melting ice at the bottom.

            “I do not!”

            “ _All_ the time,” Kuroo said.

            “If you ever need a new model,” Oikawa said, putting a hand on his hip as he drew up to his full height. “I’m always here.”

            “I’m still here!” Bokuto said, leaning on Akaashi’s shoulder insistently. “I can model.”

            Akaashi turned to him, shrugging his shoulder, Bokuto’s arm lifting slightly as he did so. “If you can stay still,” he said indifferently.

            “Ooh, he’s harsh,” Kuroo said, leaning on the table to give Bokuto a grin.

            “He’s a tough nut to crack,” Bokuto said solemnly, closing his eyes for a moment. “But I can handle him.”

            “Give ‘em the old charm,” Kuroo said, leaning back in his seat.

            Bokuto slid his arm further over Akaashi’s shoulders, giving him a pout. “Don’t you want this face in your photographs?”

            “It’s okay if you want to gag,” Kuroo said.

            Akaashi laughed, a soft sound as he turned back to Bokuto, shrugging his shoulders again. His eyelashes framed his face, his eyes sparkling in the light as he caught his eye. “If you insist.”

            Bokuto’s arm went slack over Akaashi’s shoulders, his mouth popping open slightly.

            “Do you have any pictures to show yet?” Iwaizumi was saying, taking a sip of his beer.

            Bokuto stood up suddenly, his chair pushing back with a loud scratch against the wood floors. “Kuroo, will you go to the bathroom with me?”

            Akaashi glanced up at them for a second, watching the two of them get up from the table with a puzzled expression on his face. “Yes,” he finally said, turning back to Iwaizumi as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I took test shots on my phone.”

            Bokuto pulled Kuroo away from the table, marching away as Oikawa and Iwaizumi leaned in around Akaashi.

            “What’s wrong?” Kuroo asked, looking slightly concerned as Bokuto pulled him into the single stall. “You drink too much?”

            Bokuto slid the lock in place behind them, turning around to fix him with an earnest look. “Kuroo, he has nice _eyelashes._ ”

            “Okay. Well.” Kuroo paused, looking on the verge of saying something before he burst out laughing. Bokuto slapped him on the back, shoving him forward a bit.

            “Sorry, sorry,” Kuroo said, straightening up, attempting to keep the grin off his face. He snorted a little as he tried to hold in his laughter. “His eyelashes?”

            Bokuto groaned, running his hands down his face. “I’m so gay.”

            “Okay,” Kuroo said again, patting Bokuto’s shoulder reassuringly. “They are nice eyelashes, I guess.”

            “They’re so nice,” Bokuto said from behind his hands.

            “Is this where the cheekbones comment came from earlier?”

            Bokuto just groaned again, letting his head fall against Kuroo’s shoulder. “He’ll never go for me.”

            “Bro, come on,” Kuroo said, pushing Bokuto up by his shoulders. “You’re Bokuto fucking Koutarou.”

            “Yeah,” Bokuto said, letting his hands drop from his face.

            “He even took pictures of you.” Kuroo paused, shaking Bokuto’s shoulders a bit. “In the sunset.”

            Bokuto perked up. “Yeah,” he said again.

            “He would so go for you.”

            “You’re right!” Bokuto squared his shoulders, pushing for the door before Kuroo reeled him in by the back of his shirt.

            “Bokuto, don’t tell him right _now_.”

            “Hey, but you just said—”

            “I know,” Kuroo said, still holding onto the collar of Bokuto’s shirt as he inched back towards the door. “But you’re kind of drunk.”

            Bokuto opened his mouth to protest before he caught his reflection in the mirror, laughing as he saw his half-lidded eyes and red cheeks reflected back at him.

            “You’re right,” he said again, crossing an arm over his chest as he tapped his chin. “That wouldn’t be romantic.”

            “Okay, love guru,” Kuroo laughed, opening up the bathroom door. “Let’s go back out there, then.”

            “Wait!” Bokuto leaned into the mirror, running a hand messily through his hair. “But how do I look? Does my hair still look good?”

            Kuroo snorted, holding the door open wider. “You look great, man.” Someone waiting outside for the bathroom peered in anxiously and Kuroo just rolled his eyes and shrugged, as if to say, _what can you do?_

            “Are you sure?” Bokuto still stood in front of the mirror, trying to push his hair up over his forehead.

            The man on the other side of the door shifted, crossing his arms across his chest. “Excuse me.”

            “Okay, plan B,” Kuroo said, grabbing Bokuto by his shirt and pulling him through the door, heading for the bar. “Let’s go get you a drink.”

            “Yeah?” Bokuto glanced behind them, trying to get a glimpse of their table. “But what about Akaashi?” He craned his neck, just catching a view of their table before a group of people cut in front of him. Akaashi had caught his gaze, looking curious as his eyes followed him to the bar.

            Kuroo leaned against the bar, a grin on his face as he asked Tsukishima for two beers. “We’ll go back later,” he said, hopping up on a stool as he turned to Bokuto. “Let’s talk first.”

            Bokuto smiled as Tsukishima dropped a beer in front of him, wrapping a hand around the cool glass. “What should we talk about?”

            “Hey, Tsukishima,” Kuroo said, choosing not to answer as he propped his elbows up on the bar. “Doesn’t Bokuto look really great tonight?”

            Tsukishima gave him a withering look over the frame of his glasses, collecting the money Kuroo handed him. “Leave me out of whatever idiotic thing you’re planning tonight, Kuroo-san.”

            “Aw, you think I’m pretty?” Bokuto said, eyes wide as he put a hand over his heart. “That’s sweet.”

            “Who says we’re planning anything, Tsukishima?” Kuroo said, sipping lazily on his beer. “I just wanted to include you in the conversation.”

            Tsukishima just rolled his eyes, going over to help another customer.

            Kuroo spun in his seat, shrugging as he faced Bokuto. “See, you look great tonight. Don’t worry about it.”

            Bokuto laughed, nodding his head as he took a sip from his beer. The room was starting to buzz, his head feeling light as the conversations in the bar all blurred together. “What do you think Tsukishima would say if he really liked someone?”

            Kuroo took another large sip of his beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before leaning in to Bokuto to be heard over the din of the room. “He’s just like the rest of us. I bet he’d stutter all nervous-like.”

            Bokuto sat up straight, glancing at Tsukishima down the bar. He looked cool and indifferent, like he always did. “No way.”

            “Let me tell you something,” Kuroo said, throwing an arm around Bokuto’s shoulder to pull him closer. Bokuto swayed forward for a second, Kuroo’s arm heavy from drinking. “He’s secretly a giant dork. More than you.”

            “Hey,” Bokuto laughed, taking a sip from his drink. “I don’t believe you.”

            “No, it’s true,” Kuroo said, letting go of Bokuto to adjust his non-existent glasses. “E-excuse me, but are you a dinosaur? Because you’re the tricera-tops.”

            Bokuto burst out laughing, covering the bar in a spray of beer. Tsukishima glanced over, giving them both a nasty look before walking farther away.

            “Bokuto?”

            Somebody tapped him on the shoulder and he spun around, eyes going wide as Akaashi stood in front of him.

            “Akaashi!”

            “Hi, Bokuto.”

            Bokuto jumped up, the grin on his face a mile wide. “Akaashi, what are you doing here!”

            “You did invite me, Bokuto.”

            Kuroo snickered from behind them, standing up to stretch leisurely, leaning towards Bokuto. “Don’t forget the dinosaur line,” he said under his breath, laughing as Bokuto kicked him away from the bar.

            Akaashi watched him go, turning back to Bokuto with an eyebrow raised.

            “Sorry about him,” Bokuto said, trying to will away the heat that had risen to his cheeks. “He just, uh.” He scratched at the back of his neck, his eyes locking with Tsukishima behind the bar. “He just really needed advice about asking out Tsukishima,” he blurted, gesturing to him behind the bar.

            “Oh.” Akaashi followed his gaze, glancing at Tsukishima for a moment before turning back to Bokuto. “I can leave, if you need to talk.”

            “No, no, no,” Bokuto said quickly, closing his eyes for a moment as he cursed his big loud mouth. “It’s already done. Well, it’s not done, but he’s done talking about it. About asking him out—uh, you know.”

            Akaashi watched him finish lamely, both his eyebrows raised in amusement. “That’s good.”

            “Yeah.” Bokuto let his hands swing at his sides, suddenly self-conscious of them. What did he usually do with his hands? Did they always just hang there? He crossed his arms, then uncrossed them, putting his hands on his hips instead. Power pose! Take control of the conversation. “So, do you like the bar so far?”

            Akaashi watched him, amusement in his eyes as he looked up at him. Bokuto had the distinct feeling that he was enjoying watching him flounder.

            “It was really nice,” he said, clasping his hands in front of him. “But I should head home. I have to open the print shop in the morning.” He tugged at his fingers gently, his heavy eyes still watching Bokuto.

            “Aw, alright.” Bokuto put his empty glass down on the bar, turning back to Akaashi. “Let me walk you back.”

            “No, that’s alright,” Akaashi said. “You don’t have to.”

            “But you just moved here! I don’t want to leave you alone after drinking to find your way home,” Bokuto said earnestly.

            “This town only has one major road,” Akaashi said, the corners of his mouth turning up. “But thank you.”

            “If you’re okay to go home,” Bokuto said, pouting slightly.

            Akaashi laughed, tugging at his fingers again. “I’ll be okay.” They stood there for a moment, neither of them saying anything, watching people move about the bar. Oikawa stood up at their table in the back, shouting happily as he tugged Iwaizumi to the dance floor to join Kuroo. Bokuto laughed, watching them sway around off the beat.

            “I’ll let you get back to your friends, then,” Akaashi said eventually, nodding towards them as he took a step back.

            “You’re welcome to hang out with us any time!” Bokuto said. “They all really like you.”

            “Thank you,” Akaashi said, looking back out as Oikawa bent over on the dance floor, trying to swing his arms to the beat of the song. Iwaizumi smacked him on the shoulder, grumbling as Kuroo backed into him with the same dance move from behind. “I liked them too.”

            “I guess I’ll see you around, then.” Bokuto turned back to Akaashi, trying to keep the crestfallen look from his face. “You should hang out with us again soon.”

            Akaashi nodded, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. “To keep in touch?” he asked, holding it out for Bokuto.

            “Of course!” Bokuto took the phone quickly, adding his number, his grin stretching across his face. He exited out of his contacts when he was done, squinting at the background photo. “Hey, this looks like the sunset on the resort beach!” he said, handing the phone back to Akaashi. “Is it from today?”

            Akaashi ducked his head, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “It is.”

            “It looks really good!”

            “Thank you.” He looked up, studying the grin on Bokuto’s face as he hesitated for a moment. “Did you want to see the finished pictures? I’m developing them tomorrow.”

            Bokuto’s mouth fell open, grabbing Akaashi’s hand. “Yes!” he said excitedly. “Tomorrow!”

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

            “How was your chat with Akaashi?” Kuroo said slyly, nudging Bokuto’s side. “You two looked happy.”

            Bokuto looked down at his feet, his tongue peeking out between his teeth as he concentrated on not tripping through the sand. After Akaashi left Kuroo had pulled him to the back to dance, Bokuto picking up a few more drinks as Oikawa wriggled over to him, happy to have someone else after Iwaizumi snuck off to sit down. They had stayed until closing, Tsukishima waving them out as they stumbled through the door and down the hill to the beach. Everything was spinning faster after they hit the cool ocean air.

            “Akaashi was like…”

            Bokuto stumbled slightly, his flip flops catching in the sand. “He was like trying to walk in this sand,” he said, kicking a shell out of his way. “Everything keeps shifting around and it’s hard to walk but it’s fun at the same time.”

            Oikawa snickered from in front of him, turning around to face them in the dark. “Was that supposed to make any sense?”

            “Does he ever make any sense?” Daichi said.

            “No, I got you, Bo,” Kuroo said from his side. “Akaashi is like sand.”

            Oikawa cackled from ahead of them.

            “He’s like walking in sand after being on pavement for too long!” Bokuto insisted. “Everything is moving out from under you but it’s so soft.”

            “You mean you like how unpredictable he is even when he’s always so nice?” Iwaizumi said.

            “Yes!” Bokuto exclaimed.

            Suga laughed from behind him. “Wow, that’s actually kind of genius if you think about it.”

            Bokuto hummed proudly, a spring in his step.

            “Oh, shut up, Romeo,” Kuroo said, shoving Bokuto in the side.

            Bokuto just grinned, still humming to himself as they headed home in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in bokuto's defense it is very difficult to walk on sand while shitfaced


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is kind of late, my new job is 45 hours a week, which i newly discovered does not leave a lot of time for fun things like writing.

            “Now slip it into the finisher, Bokuto.”

            Rain drummed steadily against the roof of the print shop, Bokuto glancing up at the ceiling of the dark room as if he could see it. He hugged his sweatshirt closer to himself, the just-too-long sleeves bagging around his hands as his eyes swept across the room. Only a single red light illuminated the space, Akaashi’s features thrown into strange shadows as he stood in front of the film he was developing.

            “Bokuto?”

            The room reminded Bokuto of one of those cool sci-fi films Oikawa was always asking people to watch. He glanced at the chemicals lining the shelves, imagining a shadowed Akaashi brandishing his creepy science tongs as he unleashed a wave of radioactive acid.

            “Are you paying attention? Bokuto?”

            Bokuto jumped as cool fingers wrapped around his wrist, guiding the photograph he was clutching in a pair of tongs into the basin of chemicals in front of him. Akaashi raised an eyebrow from beside him, Bokuto half-noting how cool that would look all shadow-y in a movie with the red light and the chemicals behind them.

            “Did you hear what I said?” Akaashi asked, still holding Bokuto’s wrist to keep the photograph in place.

            “Akaashi, you would look great in a movie!”

            Bokuto heard Akaashi take in a quick breath, his fingers dropping from Bokuto’s wrist as he shifted slightly away. “A movie?”

            “Yeah!” Bokuto set the tongs down on the table in front of them, the photograph slipping down into the finisher. “You would look so cool in a creepy movie. Like an evil mad scientist villain.”

            He could see Akaashi turn to look at him, his expression hidden in the darkness of the room. “Do I look like a mad scientist?” he asked, amusement in his voice.

            “Only in here,” Bokuto said. “Otherwise nobody would believe it, ’cause you look so nice.”

            Akaashi turned away, only his profile visible in the red glow of the room. “Let’s set the timer for this,” was all he said. Bokuto happily handed him the timer, Akaashi’s cool fingers brushing against his own, surprisingly smooth and dry even on this rainy day. Bokuto slid his sweatshirt sleeves farther over his palms, thinking about how clammy they probably were.

            They waited in the dark for the photographs to finish developing, Akaashi pinning them up to dry with deft hands. Bokuto asked him about his life on dry land and Akaashi had laughed quietly at that, his head shaking slightly in the dark before he told him about why he left Fukurodani. He started off haltingly, glancing at Bokuto at the end of every sentence, gauging if he was still paying attention. Bokuto sat on one of the folding chairs, chin propped on a fist attentively as he watched Akaashi work methodically around the darkroom, and Akaashi’s words came smoother, faster, more at ease in his company.

            “I wanted to open my own print shop back home, but…” Akaashi trailed off, surveying all the photographs he had pinned up on a clothesline, beach scenes and sunsets set in black and white. He turned back to Bokuto, catching his gaze even in the dark of the room. “Pictures don’t come out very well when the subjects are dull.”

            “You can make anyplace fun,” Bokuto said, leaning over their work table. “It doesn’t matter where you are.”

            “No.” Akaashi watched him for a moment, his gaze light. “It’s more who you’re with.” He turned back to his pictures, running a finger over the edge of one at eyelevel. “Have you seen any of the pictures you’re in yet?”

            Bokuto stood up, coming up beside Akaashi, following his gaze as he pointed to a set of photographs in front of them. There he was, one hand pumping the air as he splashed in the surf, pulling in a fish. Grinning excitedly at the camera, holding his catch out teasingly to Akaashi on the other side (he remembered Akaashi admonishing him, Bokuto laughing as he pushed the fish closer). His profile against a cloudy sky, eyes closed in concentration as he reeled something in. Bokuto reached out, pulling this last one down, holding it in his hands as he took it in.

            “These are really amazing,” he said, looking up to grin at Akaashi. “They look so cool. Even in black and white.”

            Akaashi smiled back, his eyes light again. “You can keep that one, if you want.”

            “Really?” Bokuto held the photograph up, careful not to get any fingerprints on it as he traced his profile. He looked focused, content, like he was sure he was going to get that fish, if only because he knew how hard he worked for it. A slight thrill ran through him, proud that this was how Akaashi saw him.

            “Nah, I can’t keep it,” he said finally, passing it back to Akaashi. “You should hang it up in Takeda’s print shop. I’ll be King of the Sea.”

            Akaashi took the photograph carefully, rolling his eyes as he pinned it back up. “King of humility, definitely.”

            “Aw, come on, what’s that?” Bokuto said, nudging Akaashi’s side. “I’m great at fishing and you know it.”

            Akaashi snorted but let Bokuto shake him lightly, draping an arm over his shoulder. They stood there for a few moments, the rain drumming on the roof above them, the darkroom quiet. Bokuto’s stomach rumbled and he put a hand over it, shifting slightly. Akaashi pulled away from Bokuto, turning to look at him.

            “Are you hungry?”

            Bokuto shifted, missing the slight warmth of Akaashi near him, just the two of them alone in the dark. “No.”

            “Bokuto.”

            If Bokuto looked up at that moment, he’d probably find Akaashi fixing him with that heavy stare. He rubbed his stomach as it rumbled again, obvious in the hush of the darkroom.

            “Yeah,” he said finally, looking up at Akaashi. “Do you want to get lunch with me?”

            “Okay,” Akaashi said, Bokuto surprised at how easily he agreed. He bounced on the balls of his feet, suddenly all smiles again.

            “Great!” Bokuto grabbed Akaashi’s wrist, tugging him towards the door. “We can get sandwiches at the café! I haven’t been there in a while, they make them so good.” He headed for the stairs, pulling Akaashi up behind him.

            “Wait—”

            They burst into the open floor of the print shop, even the dreary gray skies overhead too much light after being in the darkroom for so long. Bokuto went right for the door, throwing it open to a siege of rain, the sound of water slapping the pavement amplified around the shop. He put up his hood, pulling the strings tight before stepping out into the rain.

            Akaashi reeled him in by the back of his sweatshirt, his mouth a thin line as Bokuto turned around to look at him in surprise.

            “Bokuto, are you planning on showing up for lunch soaked to the skin?”

            “Aw, c’mon, ’kaashi, it’s just drizzling,” Bokuto said, his words muffled by his hood. Akaashi just watched him for a moment, his stare heavy.

            “Did you drive here?”

            “Drive?” Bokuto looked shocked at the suggestion. “Everything is in walking distance in this town.”

            Akaashi sighed, shaking his head slightly as he pulled his own hood up over his head. “Let’s at least take an umbrella, then,” he said, disappearing behind the register to rummage around. Bokuto watched him bob underneath the counter, his red sweatshirt just visible over the top.

            “Ah, I can only find one,” he said, emerging with an old blue and white striped umbrella. He tested it out in the shop, opening it carefully. “I guess this will have to do.”

            “Great, let’s go!”

            Bokuto opened the door to head outside again, turning his face up to feel the steady drum of the rain. He was already halfway across the parking lot before Akaashi was pulling him back by the sweatshirt again, looking exasperated.

            “Bokuto, I meant we can use the umbrella _together_ ,” he said, looking up at him from his dry cover. His lips quirked at the corner, as if he couldn’t decide on being amused or annoyed.

            “Oh.” Bokuto let his hands hit his thighs with a wet smack. “Really? Akaashi, you’re the best!”

            “Of course,” Akaashi said, now definitely smiling more than he was before.

            They maneuvered awkwardly underneath the umbrella, Bokuto ducking underneath only to hit his head when he stood up, the both of them jostling shoulders. Akaashi just handed him the umbrella handle quietly, their fingers brushing. Bokuto almost dropped the whole umbrella, flustered at the thought of how cool and dry those slender fingers had felt down in the darkroom. He wondered if they’d feel the same if he held his hand, even out in the rain.

            Akaashi looked up at him, his red hood pulled up over his head, dark curls peeking out from underneath. “Which way is the café?”

            “Here on Main Street.” Bokuto forced himself to look away from Akaashi, pointing down the sidewalk a bit. “Like everything.”

            Akaashi just hummed in response, the both of them falling silent as they took the short walk to the café. The rain drummed steadily against their umbrella, Akaashi feeling like the only other person in the world under their bubble of dry weather. Their shoulders bumped together as they walked, Akaashi sometimes glancing up at Bokuto as he did the same, both of their gazes skittering away when they caught the other.

            Bokuto’s other shoulder was getting wet in the rain, but he didn’t care at all. The one pressed against Akaashi’s felt warm and dry and _right_.

            “Here we are,” Bokuto said, rather reluctantly, as he ducked out from under the umbrella. He pulled open the café doors, bowing as Akaashi walked in past him, rolling his eyes a bit as he closed the umbrella. His gaze was light, though, amused as he let Bokuto hold the doors for him. 

            Bokuto let the doors close behind him, whistling slightly as they both stood near the entrance. The café was warm and crowded and _loud_ , packed with what looked like the whole collection of tourists for the week, plus a few people who worked outside at the resort, taking a break from the weather.

            “In the corner.” Akaashi said, tugging on Bokuto’s sleeve. “Isn’t that—”

            “It’s so crowded!” Bokuto said, already heading for the line to the register. “Man, I forgot how it gets when it rains. Do you think we’ll get a table?”

            Akaashi just trailed after him, waving to someone in the corner before coming to stand next to him. The line crept up slowly, Bokuto frequently standing on tiptoes to try to get a glimpse of the register. When they finally got to the front, Bokuto insisted on ordering Akaashi “the most amazing milkshake you’ve ever had,” Akaashi only protesting about the coldness for a little bit before giving in, letting Bokuto press the ice-cold drink into his hands.

They stood aside to wait for their sandwiches, Bokuto’s phone suddenly buzzing in his pocket as Akaashi took an experimental sip of his milkshake.

_Nice date_ , a text from Kuroo read, flashing on his screen. _Indirect milkshake straw kiss, y/n?_

Bokuto whipped his head up, trying to scan the crowd around them. “Do you see Kuroo?”

Akaashi looked at him quizzically. “Yes, isn’t he over there in the corner?”

“ _What?_ ” Bokuto coughed on his drink, almost spitting it out as he turned to seek out Kuroo.  There he was, waving lazily as Iwaizumi sat across from him, absorbed on his phone. “He’s totally spying on us.”

“Spying?”

“Yeah,” Bokuto said. “He’s crazy. Don’t look at him.”

Akaashi turned to catch Kuroo’s eye, lifting a brow in confusion as Kuroo immediately turned around, scooting his chair so they could only see the back of his head. Akaashi just looked away, choosing not to comment.

Their number was called and Bokuto collected their finished sandwiches, both of them heading back to the entrance of the café as they tried to scope out an empty table.

“We might have to go somewhere else,” Akaashi said, looking out at the crowd.

Bokuto tapped his lower lip, turning to him as a couple brushed against them on their way inside. “I have an idea,” he said, eyes bright as Akaashi looked back up at him. “But it might be a little far.”

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

“So you _do_ have a car,” Akaashi said, tossing their soaked umbrella into the backseat. Bokuto slammed his door, already starting up the engine as Akaashi clicked his seatbelt into place. Loud pop music started blaring from the speakers and Bokuto winced, turning it off as Akaashi turned to him curiously.

“Of course I have a car,” Bokuto said, pulling out onto the road paralleling the shore. “How else could I get to all the secret places the tourists don’t know about?”

Akaashi looked out the windshield, at the line where the sky met the ocean, the horizon a gradient of greys. “Does this mean I’m not a tourist?” he said quietly.

“If you were a tourist, how would you be able to take such good pictures?”

Akaashi gave him a small smile, turning to look out his window. “That doesn’t make much sense, Bokuto.”

“Of course it does.” Bokuto glanced at Akaashi, his lips turned down as he stared out his window at the ocean passing by. When did he start noticing all the small emotions playing across his face? It felt strange, to be pinned down by something as insignificant as the quirk of someone’s lips. “You can’t take a good picture if you aren’t looking at what’s around you. Tourists are never looking.”

            Akaashi drummed his fingers against the car door, glancing at Bokuto’s profile. “What do you see when you’re looking?”

            Bokuto just grinned, shaking his head. “That’s a man’s most private thoughts.”

            “You just don’t know what you’re saying and you’re trying to sound cool,” Akaashi said petulantly, giving him a look. Bokuto laughed, throwing his head back as they paused at a stop sign on an abandoned road, only the ocean and the scrub pines and the rain around them. Bokuto kept laughing as they drove, Akaashi cracking a small smile in the passenger seat.

 

 

 

***

 

 

“Okay,” Bokuto said, wiping the last of his sandwich crumbs off his shirt. The car sat parked overlooking the inlet, heavy rain pounding on the metal roof, all but erasing their view out the windows. “Let’s play twenty questions.”

Akaashi snorted, wiping away a small circle of fog that had built up on the windows, peering out at the rain-soaked world around them. Bokuto had taken them to the inlet, a small stretch of the island that had gotten blown through by a hurricane years before, knocking a clear path through the sand. A bridge had been built across the new inlet and Bokuto liked to come out here with Kuroo and everyone else, swimming in the pools collecting inside, crabbing around the pillars of the bridge.

Unfortunately, the rain had started coming down in sheets, Akaashi refusing to let Bokuto drive in weather so dangerous. Bokuto suggested they just wait it out, as rain like this never lasted, and Akaashi agreed.

“I don’t want to play twenty questions.”

“Aw, come on,” Bokuto whined, pouting in the front seat. “It’ll be fun. Look, I’ll start. What’s your favorite type of ice cream?”

Akaashi sighed, turning away from the window and sitting up dutifully in his seat. “Strawberry. Now it’s my turn to ask a question?”

Bokuto gestured for him to go ahead.

“Why was Kuroo acting so strange at the café?”

Bokuto choked on his spit, leaning over the steering wheel to hide the heat on his cheeks.

“W-what?” he said, thumping his chest as he tried to stop coughing. “What do you mean?”

“You said he was spying on us at the café. And then he wouldn’t look at us.”

“Um.” Bokuto sucked on his bottom lip, looking at Akaashi helplessly. “I thought you would ask me about my favorite food or something.”

Akaashi just looked at him.

“Okay.” Bokuto sucked in a deep breath. To be honest, he was more scared of that look Akaashi gave him than telling the truth. “Well, Kuroo was just joking that we were on a—date. But it was a joke!” Bokuto scratched the back of his head, glancing up at Akaashi’s curious face quickly before looking back at his lap. “Not that I wouldn’t want to go out on a date with you! I just—not that it would be funny,” he finished lamely.

The car was quiet for a beat, the only sound the rain spattering against the metal roof and Bokuto’s heart slamming against his rib cage. It was worse than the silence after he and Kuroo had woken up Iwaizumi with a bucket of ice water, his eyes looking like murder as they’d run for their lives.

Akaashi broke the silence first, breaking out into laughter as Bokuto looked on, his jaw slack. Akaashi just kept laughing, the sound ringing out in the small of their car. Bokuto had never heard him laugh like this.

“Um,” Bokuto said, Akaashi wiping a tear from his eyes as he finally caught his breath. From laughing at the idea of them dating.

“I’m sorry,” Akaashi said. “You just looked like you thought I would murder you.”

Bokuto looked at Akaashi with bug eyes. He heart was still residually hammering away in his chest. “And that’s funny?”

Akaashi laughed quietly, shaking his head. “Do you want it to be a date?” he asked instead.

Bokuto placed his palm over his heart, finally feeling his heart rate go down. “I think it was my turn to ask a question,” he said lamely, hanging his head. Akaashi had laughed at him when he said he would go on a date with him.

“Okay.” He looked up to find Akaashi watching him, his lips turned upwards. “You can ask your question first.”

“Do you not want it to be a date?”

“Do I—?” Akaashi paused, Bokuto hanging his head as he waited. Stupid Kuroo. Why’d he have to ruin everything?

“I think this was a good first date,” he said finally, loudly over the drumming of the rain around them. Bokuto looked up, a grin creeping across his face.

“What did you say?”

“I had a good first date,” Akaashi said again. Bokuto couldn’t be entirely sure, but he thought Akaashi was leaning closer.

“A date?”

Bokuto took it all back. Kuroo was the best. He was the monumental best friend of the beach resort.

“Yes,” Akaashi said. “Bokuto, are you hard of hearing?”

“I can’t believe it!” Bokuto said, throwing his hands up. He leaned closer to Akaashi, pecking a sloppy kiss to his cheek. He rolled down his window, sticking his head out into the pouring rain. “A date!” Bokuto shouted to the empty inlet.

When he pulled his head back inside, Akaashi was facing him in the passenger seat, one hand cupped over where Bokuto had given him a kiss. He was biting his lip, fighting a grin.

 

 

 

***

 

 

“Kuroo, I can’t handle this.”

Bokuto collapsed face first on his bed, ignoring the sand that always seemed to coat his comforter. He whined into his pillow, letting his feet dangle over the edge of the bed.

“Fuck Akaashi if he doesn’t want to be with you, man,” Kuroo said, glancing at Bokuto from the mirror where he was attempting to flatten his hair.

“I kissed Akaashi,” Bokuto said, turning onto his side to hug a pillow to his chest. “We went on a DATE.”

“Wait.” Kuroo spun around, facing Bokuto for real. “What?”

“Bo-chan went on a daaa~ate!” Oikawa said gleefully, pausing in the doorway to their common area.

Bokuto flopped onto his back, too happy to throw his pillow at Oikawa’s face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to get this last chapter all finished at once but it's taking me for-ev-er to write it so i'll just upload the first part now.

**Bokuto** : i had fun yesterday!! even if it was raining!

            **Akaashi:** Me too bokuto

            **Bokuto:** will i see you around soon?? work is boring

            **Akaashi:** I’d like that

           

 

***

 

 

 

 

            “Come back in fifteen minutes, we’re going on break thank you!”

            Bokuto slammed the rental shack’s window closed, turning to give Iwaizumi a grin as he looked up from the magazine he’d been reading idly.

            “What’d you do that for? Don’t we usually go on break later?”

            “Shh! Iwa!” Bokuto slid the window open a crack, peering outside, before slamming it shut again and skipping over to Iwaizumi. “I wanted to make sure Kuroo and Oikawa weren’t here.”

            Iwaizumi looked at him blankly. “Why?”

            “Don’t tell them, okay?” Bokuto said, hopping up on the counter next to where Iwaizumi was perched. “But I need you to teach me how to kiss.”

            There was a beat of silence as Iwaizumi just stared at him, Bokuto grinning as he swung his feet below him.

            “Kiss?”

            Bokuto nodded eagerly.

            “Haven’t you done that already?” Iwaizumi lowered his magazine, giving him a puzzled look. “Why do you need me?”

            “I’m nervous! C’mon, I thought you’d help!”

            Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow skeptically. “I’ve definitely caught you behind the rental shack looking way too comfortable on more than one occasion.”

            Bokuto hunched his shoulders, letting his feet kick out beneath the counter. “It’s different with boys,” he said lowly.

            Iwaizumi’s gaze softened, one corner of his lips turning up. “You know, I bet you’ll find out it’s not that different.”

            “But I want it to be perfect!” Bokuto said.

            Iwaizumi nudged him slightly with an elbow. “Don’t think about it too much.” He paused, digging his elbow harder into his side with a grin. “Shouldn’t be too hard for you.”

            “Hey!” Bokuto shoved him back, slightly miffed when Iwaizumi barely moved. “Are you gonna show me how to do it or what?”

            “You are _not_ asking me to kiss you right now.”

            Bokuto opened his mouth to protest when the backdoor to the rental shack banged open, Oikawa silhouetted against the hot midday sun as he casually leaned against the doorway. Bokuto jumped to his feet hastily.

            “Hitting on my boyfriend, Bo-chan?” Oikawa said, breezing into the room with an easy grin on his face. He stopped next to Iwaizumi, leaning an elbow on his lap. “And in broad daylight, too.”

            Iwaizumi pushed his elbow off, Oikawa stumbling slightly before catching himself. “Knock it off,” he said dryly.

            “It’s not what you think!” Bokuto said.

            “So mean, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa said, rubbing his elbow as he gave Iwaizumi a quick glare. He looked up, catching Bokuto watching him. “You’re too funny,” he said to Bokuto instead, giving him a grin. He hopped up on the counter space Bokuto had just vacated, his smile stretching even wider. “Bo-chan doesn’t know how to kiss!”

            “Yes I do!”

            “You know,” Oikawa said, talking over Bokuto like he hadn’t even said anything. “My older sister once told me if you make a fist like this and give it a smooch it’s like kissing the real thing.” He held his hand out, thumb wrapped loosely over his fist, moving it so it resembled a pair of talking lips.

            Bokuto stared at Oikawa’s hand, squinting slightly. Oikawa’s fingers were long and slender, kind of like Akaashi’s. “That’s weird,” he said finally.

            Oikawa shrugged, leaning to rest his arm over Iwaizumi’s shoulder. “Suit yourself.”

            “Just let it happen,” Iwaizumi said, trying to shrug Oikawa off him but only succeeding in Oikawa moving even closer. “It’ll feel right when it’s time.”

            “Maybe you’re right,” Bokuto said, feeling hopeful as Iwaizumi gave him an encouraging smile.

            “So romantic, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa said, pulling him in for a quick peck on the lips. He turned his head, smirking down at Bokuto from the counter.

            “ _Gross,_ ” Bokuto said, feigning a puke. “Ugh, stop it.”

            “ _Stop it_ ,” Oikawa mimicked in a high-pitched tone.

            “Oi!” Iwaizumi flicked Oikawa on the forehead, rolling his eyes. “Cut it out.”

            “I’ll never kiss anyone like that,” Bokuto said, throwing his hands up as he turned on his heel. He headed across the room, closing the rental shack’s door firmly shut behind him before he was forced to watch anything as revolting as Oikawa’s lovesick lips.

            “We’ll be waiting to hear about your romantic first kiss, Bo-chan!” Oikawa called from inside.

           

           

           

 

            ***

 

 

            **Bokuto:** have you been to the beach at sunrise yet

            **Bokuto:** it’s so pretty

            **Bokuto:** u would like it

            **Akaashi:** I haven’t been to the beach besides taking pictures but that sounds nice

            **Bokuto:** you tourist -__-

 

 

           

            “Akaashi?”

            Bokuto dropped his end of the ocean kayak, Kuroo grunting at the sudden weight as they lugged it away from the surf. Akaashi sat on a color-printed towel in front of him on the beach resort’s cove, leaning back on one palm and holding a hand above his eyes to catch Bokuto’s gaze. He was wearing less clothes then he’d ever seen him wear on the beach, just a pair of swim trunks and a loose flannel only buttoned once over his chest. Bokuto flushed, thinking that one button would probably drive him crazier than if it was unbuttoned completely.

            “That’s fine, I’ll just drag this all the way back to the shack by myself,” Kuroo said as Bokuto headed over to Akaashi’s towel. Bokuto just grinned, waving vaguely behind him.

            “Nice to see you, Kuroo,” Akaashi said, giving him a wave. Kuroo grumbled a greeting as he started tugging the kayak away.

            “Akaashi, hi!” Bokuto said. “What are you doing at the beach resort?”

            Akaashi shrugged. “Somebody told me I was being a tourist for not visiting the beaches without a camera.”

            “It doesn’t count if it’s at the _beach resort_ ,” Bokuto said, wrinkling his nose. He took a step closer, noticing the flush of sunburn dusting across his nose and cheeks, grinning at how it made him look like he was permanently blushing.

            Akaashi rolled his eyes. “Sorry, I wasn’t aware I was talking to a beach snob.”

            Bokuto dropped down beside Akaashi, getting a spray of sand over his towel that Akaashi brushed off. “You just need to get out more,” he said matter-of-factly. He touched Akaashi’s cheek lightly, fingertips running over his sunburn. “It looks like you made a start.”

            “Ow.” Akaashi batted his hand away, giving him a lazy glare. “That still hurts.”

            Bokuto just grinned, returning his hand to his lap. “Sorry.”

            “You are not,” Akaashi said, brushing more sand off his towel and onto Bokuto.

            “Hey.” Bokuto sat up straight, crossing his legs in the sand. “We’re heading a few beaches down after work today. It’ll be low tide. Do you want to come?” He shook Akaashi’s knee playfully. “Much better beach than this one.”

            “Alright.”

            Akaashi let his knee knock against Bokuto’s, offering him a smile. Bokuto grinned back, trying to ignore Kuroo shouting for him from the rental shack to help a customer.

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

            **Bokuto:** where r you?

            **Bokuto:** i can’t find you

            **Bokuto:** wave or something

            **Akaashi:** I’m right where i said i would meet you bokuto

            **Bokuto:** i see you!! coming!!!

           

 

            “Maybe you should put some of this on.”

            Bokuto grabbed a sandy bottle of sunscreen from the floor of his car, shaking it a little in front of Akaashi’s face so that its contents sloshed around.

            Akaashi made a face, pushing it away. “I already put some on before I left,” he said. “That bottle looks a hundred years old.”

            Kuroo snorted as he shut the trunk, hitching his backpack higher up on his shoulder. “It probably is. He never wears that stuff.”

            “I don’t need it! I’m immune!”

            “You are _not_ immune to the sun,” Daichi said, rolling his eyes as he led them out of the tiny parking lot and towards the dunes to the beach.

            “He’s about immune as Oikawa is the first day of summer,” Kuroo told Akaashi conspiratorially, nodding his chin to Oikawa’s pale skin and sunhat. “Red as a firetruck.” He held up a dark arm towards Akaashi. “I don’t have that problem.”

            “I was _sunkissed_ ,” Oikawa insisted, turning around to give Kuroo a glare. Kuroo and Bokuto just snickered behind him, Akaashi rolling his eyes from their side. Oikawa gestured rudely with his hand and Kuroo jogged ahead to retaliate, Iwaizumi walking faster to get away from the two of them bickering.

Leaving Bokuto with Akaashi.

He quickened his pace, glancing at Akaashi repeatedly as they started trekking up the dunes leading to the beach. Akaashi glanced back, letting their shoulders bump as they walked. This was one of Bokuto’s favorite places on the island. He wanted Akaashi to like it.

They crested the top of the dune, Bokuto taking a deep breath, holding it for a beat before exhaling into the salty air. A sea breeze ruffled through his hair, welcome and cool after the hot sun of the island. Sea grasses waved in the wind, the tallest of them brushing softly against Bokuto’s arms, making him shiver. Below them white sand led down to a mostly empty beach, waves lapping blue and clear against the shore. A sandbar peaked out from the ocean, the color a pretty pale against the water

            Bokuto watched Akaashi’s face, eager to see how he liked it. Akaashi’s eyes followed the line of the shore, gaze light as he took it in, turning to Bokuto after a moment. He smiled, the expression reaching all the way up to his eyes.

            “Beautiful.”

            “Better than the beach resort, right?”

            Akaashi nodded, smiling once more before heading down the other side of the dune, the waves crashing against the shore in front of them.

 

 

***

 

            “Bokuto! The ball!”

            The football landed in front of Bokuto with a splat, sending a spray of water all up his front. He shook his head, taking his eyes off the shore to scoop up the ball before it floated away, tossing it back towards Kuroo. When he glanced back, Akaashi looked up, giving him a small wave before turning back to his conversation. He stood at the shore, letting the waves lap over his feet, hands in his pockets as Suga stood next to him, the two of them occasionally exchanging a few words.

            Bokuto trotted across the sandbar, catching the football and throwing it back to Iwaizumi this time, who caught it easily from his spot a little deeper in the water. Low tide was one of the best times on the beach, and it had been a while since it happened the same time work got off. The water was just shallow enough that tiny waves lapped over the sandbar, barely reaching their ankles before disappearing into the small, waist-deep pool in front of the shore. It was perfect for fucking around in the water without worrying about getting soaking wet.

            “C’mon, Bokuto!”

            Bokuto dragged his eyes away from Akaashi again, making a run for the ball Oikawa sent whizzing past his head. He dove for it, the football just slipping through his hands as he crashed off the sandbar and into the tidal pool.

            “I got it,” Bokuto called, lunging for the football as it bobbed with the current, a wave carrying it all the way to Akaashi’s and Suga’s feet. He scrambled out of the water, ignoring his sopping wet t-shirt as he popped up next to Akaashi.

            “You’re soaking wet,” Akaashi said in a monotone, looking Bokuto up and down as he bent down to pick up the football.

            “Great save, right?” Bokuto said, giving them both a grin before he threw the football back to Daichi on the sandbar. He turned back to Akaashi, hands on his hips in pride.

            “You dropped it,” Akaashi just said, turning to share a look with Suga.

            “He’s all lined up for the NFL,” Suga laughed.

            Bokuto waved his hand dismissively, ignoring their jabs. “But now I’m all cooled off,” he said, spreading his arms out to show off his dripping t-shirt.

            “Just as the sun’s going down,” Akaashi said.

            “C’mon, Akaashi! Be on my side for once!” Bokuto grinned, reaching to wrap his arms around Akaashi in a crushing hug, making sure to get his soaking t-shirt all over Akaashi’s dry flannel. “Cool down!”

            “Ugh.” Akaashi struggled for a moment before accepting his fate, letting Bokuto squeeze the life out of him. Bokuto just had time to release Akaashi and throw himself over Suga in the hopes of getting him wet when the football hit him square in the back of the head.

            Kuroo shouted for him to throw it back, Bokuto just giving him the finger before chucking it as far as he could into the surf beyond the sandbar. The waves just carried it right back to Kuroo’s feet, but Bokuto still felt satisfied.

            “Wanna come play?” Bokuto said, gesturing towards the four boys out on the sandbar. Akaashi hesitated, shaking his head after a moment.

            “Not right now.”

            “Aw, really?” Bokuto looked out at the water, watching Iwaizumi take a running jump over a wave as he caught the ball. “You sure?”

            Akaashi nodded, burying his hands deeper into his pockets.

            “Okay,” Bokuto said easily, offering his elbow for Akaashi to take. “Want to go for a walk instead?”

            Akaashi took his arm. “Alright.”

            “We’re heading down the beach, Suga,” Bokuto said, swiveling in the sand. “You want to come?”

            Suga just shook his head, giving them both a smile as he waved them off. Bokuto half expected somebody to make a comment as he walked away with Akaashi, but nobody mentioned anything. Suga just waded out to the sandbar, bringing their game a few paces down the beach. Oikawa and Kuroo glanced over, but just followed Suga farther away.

            “Where are we going?”

            Bokuto shrugged, splashing in the waves lapping up onto the shore. “How is your photography internship going?”

            “It’s good.” Akaashi was still holding onto Bokuto’s arm, his hand sliding down until his fingers wrapped loosely around his wrist. “I’ll have some nice prints to take back to college.”

            “That’s awesome!” Bokuto kicked at an incoming wave, water spraying out in front of them. “When do you have to go back to Fukurodani?”

            “Not for a while.” Akaashi glanced up at him. “At the end of August.” They were quiet for a moment, a seagull calling out overhead as it flew by. “Will you be here for the year?”

            “No, I go to college on the mainland.” Bokuto puffed up, walking taller. “I have a scholarship for marketing.”

            Akaashi laughed quietly, swinging his hand once. “That’s great, Bokuto.”

            “Really?” Bokuto peeked over at Akaashi, a smile spreading slowly over his features. “Most people think I’m too stupid to get a scholarship.”

            “I don’t think you’re stupid, Bokuto.”

            Bokuto shrugged. “You’re just saying that,” he said, kicking at another wave rolling past his ankles.

            Akaashi looked up at him, studying his face. “You’re always talking and you’re _never_ paying attention.” He paused to roll his eyes.  “But you aren’t stupid. You’re very intuitive, Bokuto.”

            “Akaashi!” Bokuto was positively beaming. “You’re amazing.”

            Akaashi looked away, tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear. “Those are just facts, Bokuto,” he said softly.

            Bokuto swung their hands higher. “Tell me more facts.”

            Akaashi rolled his eyes again, pushing him into the surf.

            “Hey, hey!”

            Bokuto kicked a spray of water up at Akaashi, satisfied when he gave out a gasp as the cold water hit his face.

            “Are you gonna get me back?” Bokuto taunted, grinning as he jogged deeper into the water. He backed up, ready to splash Akaashi if he got near again.

            Akaashi stuck his nose in the air, keeping to the sand just above where the waves met the shore. “Now you think _I’m_ stupid.”

            Bokuto opened his mouth to protest, eyes shining, before a large wave hit him from behind, Bokuto shrieking as the cold water soaked him again. Akaashi snickered from the safety of the sand, still walking as Bokuto stood there in shock.

            “Serves you right.”

 

 

***

 

            “Are you coming? Bokuto?” Kuroo stood on top of the dune, hand shielding his eyes as he watched him scramble in the sand. Everyone else hung back behind him, milling around as they waited for them to finish packing up. Oikawa peeked out from behind Kuroo, saying something with a sly expression as he spotted Bokuto and Akaashi left alone on the beach, disappearing again as Kuroo shooed him away.

            “I’m coming, I’m coming!” Bokuto picked up his towel, the contents of his bag promptly falling out as he bent down.

            Kuroo rolled his eyes, waving to Akaashi from up on the dune. “You got him?”

            “I’ll get him up soon,” he called, gesturing for Kuroo not to mind. “Too slow,” he added, turning to Bokuto scrambling to pick up his water bottle and headphones from the sand.

            “You’re so hard on me,” Bokuto said, finally hitching his backpack up on his shoulders, stuffing his feet into his sandals. He still had his towel and water in his hands, giving the bottle a half-hearted swipe to get rid of the sand before giving up. “At least hold my towel.”

            He flung his towel over Akaashi’s head before he could see his accompanying eye roll, humming as he set off up the path to the parking lot. He stopped after a moment, turning around to see Akaashi pull off the towel with a huff, letting it settle around his shoulders instead.

            “What are you smiling at?” Akaashi said, trudging after Bokuto up the dunes.

            Bokuto tried to press down his smile, eyeing the way the towel and the ocean wind messed up Akaashi’s hair even more than usual, the dark strands standing on end. He turned back around, unable to hide his grin as he sped up off the beach.

            “You are a handful, Bokuto,” Akaashi said, catching up to him as they finally crested the dune. Kuroo and the others had already started walking back to the parking lot, only their retreating backs visible through the sea grass and the setting sun.

            “But you like me,” Bokuto said, his words suddenly amplified as they headed down the other side of the dune, the crash of the ocean now muted. His words seem to echo around them, the chirp of the cicadas finally swallowing them down as they both came to a standstill in the sand, the sound enveloping them in its heated, summer bubble.

            “I do,” Akaashi said quietly. They were closer now, Bokuto not remembering moving his feet as he looked down at the tiny sun freckles sprinkled over Akaashi’s nose, his sunburned cheeks.

            “You like me,” Bokuto said again, his hand at the nape of Akaashi’s neck, pushing through his windswept hair. Akaashi’s hand went to the small of his back, palm splayed as he pushed him closer, his head ducking once before their lips finally met.

            Kissing Akaashi was different. When their lips met, Akaashi didn’t just let Bokuto move against him. He pushed back, his lips moving slowly with his own, enough so that Bokuto found himself pressing back, matching his rhythm. There were no arms around his neck; Akaashi held him closer by the hips, pulling them closer, Bokuto deciding he liked this much better as he let his hand drag through Akaashi’s hair, loving the feeling of discovering how to move with a new set of lips.

            Akaashi pulled away eventually, his dark eyes finding Bokuto’s as he slid his hands to Akaashi’s waist. The cicadas seemed to swell around them, echoing out into the flat of the scrub pines as Bokuto let the ocean wind blow between them.

            “You like me too,” Akaashi said, ducking his head again.

            Bokuto licked his lips, unsure how the happiness inside him wasn’t bursting around them, louder than the June bugs or the ocean crashing behind them. He curled his toes in the sand, for once the grin on his face mirroring the smile splitting across Akaashi’s face.

 

 

 

            ***

 

 

 

            **Bokuto:** kuroo keeps yelling at me for spacing out on the job

            **Bokuto:** make him stop

            **Akaashi:** Don’t do that

            **Bokuto:** i can’t stop thinking about the other day

            **Bokuto:** shittg iwaizumi is gonna take my phone away

            **Akaashi:** Pay attention

**Bokuto:** gotta go bye

            **Akaashi:** Come visit me after work

            **Bokuto:** can’t stop thinking about it either????:):)

            **Akaashi:** I thought you had to go

           

           

           

            Bokuto visited him after work that day, and every day that week. They looked at photographs and went through Akaashi’s negatives, Bokuto crowing every time he found himself. They talked about college and what each of them would eat if it was their last meal on earth. Bokuto was only slightly incredulous that Akaashi would pick a _vegetable._

Bokuto tried to teach him fishing once more, jumping in place when Akaashi finally managed to cast properly. He dragged him to Friday night dinner with the beach resort crew, Akaashi absentmindedly placing his hand over Bokuto’s at the table during a lull in conversation. Bokuto and Kuroo got into a kicking match under the table after Kuroo gave them a smirk.

They talked about what sports they played in high school and what kind of animal they would be if they were reincarnated on earth. They kissed when no one was looking. Akaashi took Bokuto’s face after he told him Bokuto would come back as a poodle, placing one wet kiss to his nose as he grinned at his stunned expression.

They talked about stupid things. They talked about what they wanted in their future. Akaashi pulled him down to give him a kiss goodbye at the print shop a week later. Bokuto felt his palms burn for more.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is dedicated to anyone who's ever touched a penis and then thought "ugh fuck NOW what"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i finally finished!! thank you so much you guys for the kudos/comments! i feel like i'm finishing my summer by finishing this fic
> 
> anyway, i always think of bokuto as that sixteen-year-old "crap how do i kiss!! this moment is crucial and romantic!!" while akaashi is more, you know, I-had-my-first-kiss-in-my-twenties-but-I-go-with-the-flow. so here they are in all that glory.

**Bokuto:** anything planned for Monday all day?

            **Akaashi:** What are we doing?

            **Bokuto:** beach day!

            **Akaashi:** We live at the beach

            **Bokuto:** u don’t get it

            **Bokuto:** pack your sunscreen

            **Bokuto:** i’ll forgive u for saying tourist things

            **Akaashi:**  Thanks

            **Bokuto:** <3 <3 <3 <3 can’t wait akaashi!!

 

            Bokuto held his breath, checking behind him to make sure Kuroo wasn’t anywhere in the suite before giving a light tap to the door in front of him.

            Nothing happened.

            He put his ear to the door, hearing a slight shuffling sound. Bokuto pounded louder on the door, somebody cursing lightly under their breath before the bed springs creaked.

            “Alight, I’m coming, I’m coming,” someone said from behind the closed door, opening it to reveal Iwaizumi pulling out his earbuds, an unmade bed behind him. “Yeah?”

            “Iwaizumi, I need you to teach me how to get to third base with boys.”

            Iwaizumi leaned his palm against the doorframe, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. “You’re kidding me. Please say you’re joking.”

            “If only, Iwa,” Bokuto said solemnly, shutting his eyes for a moment in acceptance of the situation before pushing himself into the room. Iwaizumi sighed, shutting the door behind him.

            “I’m not doing this, just so you know,” Iwaizumi said, the bed springs squeaking again as he settled back down on his bed. Bokuto turned around, mouth open to protest any of Iwaizumi’s stupid complaints when his eyes landed on Oikawa, staring owlishly at him from his desk chair.

            “Ah!”

            Bokuto leaped back, the backs of his knees knocking into the second bed in the room, his butt finding its way to the perfectly made covers. Stupid Oikawa. He always forgot he moved his desk and computer so that you couldn’t see him from the doorway.

            “Bo-chan, that’s no way to greet someone in their own room,” Oikawa said, chin resting on his arms folded over the back of his chair. He was still watching Bokuto.

            “Don’t _do_ that,” Bokuto said, flopping over onto Oikawa’s bed.

            Oikawa blinked, breaking out into a sugary grin. “Do you need help getting to third base? That’s cute.”

            “Iwaizumi, he’s mocking me.”

            “I’m being sincere!” Oikawa said, swiveling around completely in his chair. “Iwa-chan, nobody ever thinks I’m sincere,” he whined.

            “Maybe stop grinning like a sadist,” Iwaizumi said from his bed, scrolling through his mp3 player.

            “I do _not!_ ”

Oikawa huffed, crossing his arms. “I’m just saying.” He paused, looking like he was spending all his effort flashing Bokuto his most genuine smile. “I can help.”

Iwaizumi snorted, shaking his head as he clicked through his music. “Not convincing at all.”

“It’s kind of convincing,” Bokuto said, bouncing slightly on Oikawa’s bed. He didn’t really care, honestly. He just needed someone to give him a pep talk before Kuroo came back from wherever he went.

Oikawa laughed, his normal smile dissolving across his face. “Why are you asking _Iwa-chan_ , of all people?”

“What do you mean?”

Oikawa rolled his eyes. “Such a prude. Way too nice and slow about that stuff at first.”

“I’m not listening to this,” Iwaizumi said from the bed, turning up the volume on his music. A tinny beat rang throughout the room.

“Really?” Bokuto sat up straighter, briefly contemplating his friend’s sex life before shaking his head, deciding he didn’t want to think about it. “But what’s bad about being nice? And slow?”

Oikawa laughed, leaning his arms on the back of his chair. “Because you want to start off all slow, like you’re teasing at first, but then—”

“Wait.” Bokuto stilled on the bed, the realization that this conversation was a horrible mistake dawning on him.

“—you want to go faster, but some people always say but what if I accidentally use my teeth—”

“Stop,” Bokuto said, his face paling. He snuck a look at Iwaizumi, who held his screen over his pink face, decidedly Not Listening.

“—and I’m saying, just go for it, because can it really be a bad—?”

“No,” Bokuto moaned, burying himself in the stack of pillows at Oikawa’s headboard. “Make it stop.”

“Just remember, Bo-chan, can it _really_ be a bad—ow! Owww! You brute!”

“Shut up, dumbass!”

Oikawa cut off in a choking sound, sounding like Iwaizumi was cutting off all airways in a spectacular chokehold as he continued to splutter. Bokuto cracked up into the pillows, still too scared to lift his head and look at them full-on.

“Don’t come back here in another week asking about anything else,” Iwaizumi huffed from across the room. “I can’t do this for a third time.”

Bokuto laughed harder into the pillows, something crashing off Oikawa’s desk as they continued to struggle.

 

 

 

***

**Bokuto** : meet us @ our bungalow we have to figure out rides

**Akaashi:** It’s too hot to walk there

**Bokuto** : do it for me

**Bokuto:** if you show up you admit you like me

 

 

“Is that Akaashi?”

Kuroo hummed from the driver’s seat, their truck idling at the only traffic light on Main Street. Heat came off the asphalt in waves, the kind that drives people into lethargic puddles in front of fans and air conditioning. Bokuto had his face shoved up against the car’s air vents, watching the beach resort traffic crawl through town around them.

“Could be,” Kuroo said offhandedly, slumping down farther in the driver’s seat. Their truck was loaded for a day at the shore away from the resort, coolers filled with beer and skimboards propped up against fishing poles.

Bokuto pressed his nose against the passenger window, feeling the heat leach through the glass. If he squinted, he could just make out a dark-haired figure slowly trudging down the street, beach bag slung over his shoulder and flannel flapping slowly in the slight breeze.

“Akaashi!”

Bokuto flung open the door, ignoring the sharp honk from the car next to them as he jogged across the road. Something tapped him lightly in the side but he kept going, waving down the slightly incredulous-looking Akaashi waiting on the street corner.

“Bokuto,” Akaashi said, watching him jog up to him in the heat. He looked back out at the road, some car still honking as it drove up to the red light. “Did you just get hit by that Prius?”

Bokuto looked back at the street, eyes sweeping disinterestedly over the general traffic. “That car?” He turned back to Akaashi, waving his hand dismissively. “Nah.”

Akaashi just looked at him.

“Bokuto!”

Kuroo had his head stuck out the passenger side window, looking exasperated. “What the fuck, Bokuto, did you just get hit by a car? Get back in the fucking truck.”

“Akaashi is here!” Bokuto yelled back, waving at Kuroo.

“Come bring your boyfriend back to sanity,” Kuroo said, directing his comment at Akaashi before pulling his head back into the truck.

“Is he going to fit?” Bokuto shouted. Kuroo just rolled up the window.

“He gets cranky when it’s hot,” Bokuto said, turning to Akaashi with a grin. Akaashi gave him a heavy-lidded look before following Bokuto across the street, Bokuto squeezing into the truck’s tiny backseat so Akaashi could ride shotgun.

The light turned green, Kuroo revving the engine as he turned to look back at them in the car. “Anybody else have something stupid they wanna do before we go?”

“I think Bokuto-san took care of that quota for the day,” Akaashi said tonelessly.

“You’d be surprised at what the rest of us can accomplish,” Kuroo said, smirking from the front seat.

“To the beach!” Bokuto shouted, pushing his head in between Kuroo and Akaashi up front.

            “We have to stop by the bungalow and pick up everyone else first.”

            “To the bungalow!” Bokuto said, punching the air as they drove away.

 

 

 

 

 

            ***

 

 

 

            They drove out to one of the beaches near the inlet, dotted with other people from the island and a few of the more adventurous tourists of the week. Kuroo had managed to squeeze Kenma in the backseat of his truck next to Bokuto, leaving Iwaizumi, Oikawa, Daichi, and Suga to pile into the trunk with the fishing poles and coolers.

            “Yikes,” Oikawa said, hopping from the trunk as Iwaizumi and Daichi lugged the coolers down. He rubbed his elbows, wincing slightly. “I hate when Kuroo drives. It’s so bumpy I get bruises.”

            Kuroo swung his keys around his finger, grabbing one of the fishing poles. “You want me to tie you to the roof instead?”

            “What a great breeze!” Bokuto said, squeezing out from the backseat. “And a great view from up there.”

            “Yeah,” Kuroo said, shouldering the fishing pole. “And if you get hungry, just catch bugs in your teeth.”

            “Extra protein!” Bokuto said, Kuroo snickering in response.

            “You could use the protein,” Kuroo said, pointing to his arms. “Weak,” he mouthed, turning around so only Bokuto and Oikawa could see him say it. Oikawa just narrowed his eyes, locking his jaw before stalking off for the beach.

            “It doesn’t seem like a good idea to piss him off,” Akaashi said, standing just behind Kuroo and Bokuto, watching them.

            “They never know when to cool it,” Iwaizumi said, gesturing for Akaashi to help him carry a cooler down to the beach. “You get used to it.”

            “And here I thought they were done doing stupid things for the day,” Akaashi said passively, giving Kuroo a small smirk as they passed by.

            They watched Iwaizumi ad Akaashi trudge down to the beach, Bokuto balancing the bait bucket and another cooler in his arms.

            “Your boyfriend really knows how to lay it on thick,” Kuroo said, placing a hand over his heart. “Cold.”

            Bokuto switched the cooler to his other hand, sticking his tongue out slightly in concentration. “You think we’re close enough to be boyfriends?” he said brightly, looking up at Kuroo hopefully.

 

 

 

***

 

 

            They ate sandwiches that Bokuto and Kuroo had picked up from the café, spreading out over their towels as they waited for high tide. By the time the last of them had finished eating, Bokuto and Iwaizumi were already out in the water, trying to goad a hesitant Oikawa past the breakers.

            The water was rough at high tide, waves swelling up in strong currents before crashing down into the surf, enough force to grind Bokuto into the sand if he caught a wave wrong. Bokuto paddled out deeper into the water, laughing as Iwaizumi shoved Oikawa’s head under an incoming wave, getting clobbered himself in the process.

            Suga and Daichi were at the water’s edge, talking as they got used to the sharp cold of the ocean. Kuroo and Kenma were under the umbrella, leaning over some comic, as Akaashi laid out next to them in the sun, turning a page of his book idly.

            Bokuto licked his lips, glancing at Akaashi from the water. He had a pair of ray bans on, his swimming trunks bright red against the pale of his skin.

            “Hey! Akaashi!”

            Bokuto jumped up in the water, waving his arms as a wave passed underneath him. Akaashi looked up from his towel, taking a moment to slip a bookmark in his book before sauntering over to the water’s edge.

            Bokuto splashed back to shore, grinning as he dripped next to Akaashi.

            “Wanna come in?”

            Akaashi looked out at the water dubiously, watching Iwaizumi and Oikawa struggle to float over the waves. “Looks kind of rough.”

            “Nah.” Bokuto put his hands on his hips. “If a wave is too big you just dive under it and you’re fine.”

            Akaashi looked up at him skeptically.

            “Have you gone swimming in the ocean much?”

            Akaashi shook his head, his dark eyes watching Bokuto.

            “Really?” Bokuto’s eyes were wide. “Come on, I’ll take you in! You have to try it now!”

            “Do I?” Akaashi said.

            “Come on.” Bokuto placed his hand on the small of Akaashi’s back, reassuring him. “I’ll be right here,” he said with a grin.

            Akaashi took a deep breath, grabbing Bokuto’s hand as they splashed into the waves. He jumped back at the cold of the water, Bokuto snickering until Akaashi gave him a look. They waded further, Akaashi sucking in a breath as a wave hit them square in the chest, the cold soaking their bones in the heat of the afternoon.

            “Let’s just dive in and get it over with,” Bokuto said, letting go of Akaashi to plunge under a wave.

            “Wait—”

            Bokuto popped up on the other side, Akaashi looking disoriented as water streamed from his eyes, his messy hair.

            “You’re supposed to go _under_ the big waves,” Bokuto hooted, cracking up.

            “Be quiet, Bokuto,” Akaashi said under ground teeth, quickly wading out to Bokuto’s side again, taking his hand under the water. Another wave swelled underneath them, taking their feet off the bottom for a moment, and Akaashi clutched Bokuto’s arm, hands tightening around his wrist.

            “Hey.” Bokuto pulled him closer until Akaashi got on his feet again, holding him up. “It’s okay.”

            Iwaizumi and Oikawa whooped from farther out in the water, treading water past the breakers. Akaashi watched them, loosening his grip on Bokuto’s arm. “Thanks.”

            “Do you want to get out?”

            Another wave passed over them, Akaashi spluttering as they popped out the other side, coughing as he spit out a stream of water. “No,” he said, a glint in his eye. “Let’s go out farther.”

            Bokuto’s eyes widened, his mouth popping open in a small o as Akaashi already started taking a few strokes towards deeper water. All he wanted to do was pull Akaashi back, kissing the determined set of his lips and watching the excitement in his eyes.

           

 

 

            ***

 

 

 

            “There you guys are,” Suga said, turning to wave at Bokuto and Akaashi as they finally emerged from the ocean.

They had followed Iwaizumi and Oikawa out past the breakers, swimming strokes in the choppy water for what felt likes hours, Akaashi floating on his back, allowing Bokuto to hang onto him when he got tired of treading water. They’d stayed out even as Oikawa and Iwaizumi swam back to shore, Bokuto placing a few kisses over Akaashi’s lips as they floated with the current down the beach.

            “We were about to come get you,” Suga said. “Want to head back for dinner soon?”

            “Dinner already?” Bokuto said, glancing around at everyone spread out by the coolers.

            “The sun _is_ going down, Bokuto,” Akaashi said.

            Bokuto ignored this, flopping down on his towel, throwing an arm over his eyes. “I can’t cook. I’m too tired.”

            “It’s your turn to cook, lazy,” Kuroo said, throwing a handful of sand at him.

            “Yeah, I want my burger well done this time,” Oikawa added, pulling one knee up as he stretched out on his towel. “You made them too pink last time.”

            “I want cheese on mine,” Kenma added.

            “Fine.” Bokuto sighed, rolling over on his towel dramatically. “But I get hot tub privileges first!”

            Akaashi sat down next to Bokuto, carefully brushing the sand from his own towel. “Hot tub privileges?”

            “The hot tub on our bungalow floor only fits four people,” Kuroo said, adjusting his sunglasses as he checked his phone. “But there’s eight of us here.”

            “It’s a bloodbath,” Oikawa said happily from his spot laying in the sand.

            “Everyone always takes it when I’m cooking dinner so I never get to relax,” Bokuto said, his voice muffled in his towel.

            “But it’s fine when someone else is cooking and you get to use the hot tub,” Daichi said.

            Bokuto looked up, peering at Daichi. “Well, yeah.”

            “Selfish _and_ bad at cooking,” Oikawa said, tutting from his towel. “Now who should we strap to the roof?”

            “Still you,” Bokuto said, laughing as Oikawa scrunched his nose in anger.

            They kept arguing after that, Bokuto flopping back down on his towel and stretching out, tuning them out as he closed his eyes, feeling the sun on his face. It was still hot even at sundown, Bokuto drying almost immediately from their swim in the ocean. He felt Akaashi settle next to him, peeking over to see him resting his head in his arms as he lay on his stomach, head turned to watch Bokuto.

            “You’re cooking for a lot of people tonight,” he said simply.

            “Yeah.” Bokuto shrugged, at least as much as he could while laying down. “But I get hot tub privileges,” he said, giving Akaashi a grin. A small breeze rolled through, tousling Bokuto’s hair, a strand falling over his forehead and into his eyes.

            Akaashi hummed, reaching out, hesitantly at first, to brush it away. Bokuto’s stomach swooped and he rolled over onto his stomach, matching Akaashi’s pose.

            “You know,” he said, kicking his seat in the sand behind him. “If you help me cook you could get hot tub privileges too.”

            Akaashi’s eyes followed the dark of Bokuto’s skin, his fingertips just skimming his arm. “It’s awfully hot out to be using a hot tub,” he said quietly.

            Bokuto held still, not wanting to lose the cool of Akaashi’s fingers against his sun-drenched skin. “It gets cooler after sundown. And it’s windy at the bungalow beach,” he said.

            Akaashi just hummed again, letting his fingers trace down his bicep, to the crease of his elbow. He closed his eyes, hand still resting there. Bokuto bit his lip. He’d never seen Akaashi sleep, the thought seeming intimate even out here under the sun.

            “Hey.”

            Someone threw a towel at Bokuto’s head, sand raining down over him as he yanked it off, sitting up.

            “We’re leaving soon.” Kuroo stood over him, his eyes sliding to Akaashi’s hand curled in the sand next to Bokuto’s towel. He turned around, throwing Bokuto a pleasantly surprised smile as he headed away. “Come help pack up,” he called over his shoulder.

            “I’ll help you cook, Bokuto,” Akaashi said. “I want to see the hot tub.”

            Bokuto looked over, Akaashi catching him with his dark eyes, flashing him a mischievous grin before sitting up, the smile gone before Bokuto could do a double take.

 

 

 

***

 

 

            Daichi and Suga had gone grocery shopping with Bokuto, insisting they drive him this time to avoid anything unnecessary if he went with Kuroo. When they’d gotten back to the bungalow, Akaashi and Kenma were waiting for him by the grill, the coal already burning. They chopped tomatoes and lettuce, talking about print sales to the souvenir shop while Bokuto flipped the burgers, watching everyone else lounge around on the porch, killing time.

            “Your prints are selling really fast,” Kenma said, head down as he piled the lettuce onto plates. “Ever since we put them in the beach resort’s shop.”

            “Really?” Akaashi paused, knife poised over a tomato as he looked over at Kenma thoughtfully.

            “Yeah.” Kenma shook the hair from his face, glancing at Bokuto briefly before turning back to the lettuce. “Especially the fishing pictures at sunset. They love that kind of stuff.”

            “Did you hear that, Bokuto?”

            Bokuto let the spatula drop, where he had been trying to balance it on his nose as the burgers sizzled nearby. “Cool, your prints are selling!” he said, dropping down to collect the spatula. He examined the sand on it, wiping it off on his swim trunks before moving to flip a burger with it.

            “Especially the ones with you in it.”

            “Hey, take a picture of me right now.” Bokuto put a hand on his hip, striking a pose as he waved his spatula around. “They’ll buy hundreds of me.”

            “They’ll put you on the cover of most burnt hamburgers,” Akaashi said dryly, going back to slicing tomatoes.

            “Only because of your amazing photography skills,” Bokuto said, pointing his spatula at Akaashi. “You could sell anything.”

            “Bokuto, please don’t wave that spatula around,” Akaashi said, busying himself with transferring the tomatoes to a serving plate. Bokuto grinned, choosing not to point out the faint blush that was creeping over the tops of Akaashi’s ears.

            They continued cooking in relative silence, Bokuto enjoying the bubble of companionship around the small grill. The sun was almost fading behind the dunes, their cooking space cast in dusky shadows as the crickets chirped around them. Oikawa’s voice drifted from the porch, the swing creaking before a burst of laughter rang out into the twilight. Bokuto felt at home in the familiar sounds, even as Akaashi’s voice added to the mix quietly beside him.

 

 

***-

 

 

            “Everyone who cooked gets to go in first!” Bokuto called, running across the rickety bungalow porch until he reached the hot tub, giving Kuroo and Oikawa the stink eye. After everyone had finished eating, they’d split up into twos and threes, gathering around the glowing embers of the coal fire or spreading out along the porch. A few beer bottles stood along the side of the hot tub, a sign that Kuroo and Oikawa had probably been there for a while. “Come on, get out. Fair is fair.”

            “It’s for four people,” Oikawa said, grinning up at Bokuto from the water. “Two whole other people could fit in here.” His eyes squinted, just like they always did after he had more than two beers, still smiling widely at Bokuto. Kuroo sported a matching grin, relaxing back in the hot tub.

            “But _three_ people cooked dinner. So get out so Akaashi and Kenma can—”

            Bokuto stopped, looking around the sandy area behind the bungalow, searching the silhouettes around the fire. “Where did Kenma go?”

            “He went back to his room. Too many mosquitoes,” Kuroo said, leaning back against the hot tub. “Plenty of room.”

            Bokuto just grumbled, climbing into the hot tub, letting out a hiss as the water hit his sunburn before sinking in all the way to his shoulders.

            “Where’s Akaashi, Bo-chan?”

             “He had to go to the bathroom, so I said he could use our suite,” Bokuto said, closing his eyes as he got used to the water. A breeze blew in from the island, cool against his face as the night wore on.

            “So he’s in your _room_?”

            Somebody snickered and Bokuto cracked open an eye, sitting up as he caught Kuroo and Oikawa exchanging a look.

            “What’s the big deal?”

            “He’s in your _room_ ,” Oikawa said gleefully. He patted Kuroo on the shoulder, shaking him slightly in the bubbles. “Say, did you know what Bokuto asked when he came into my room the other day—”

            “Cut it out!” Bokuto said, splashing forward to tackle Oikawa, shoving his face in the water. Kuroo snorted, watching them flail around as he reached for one of the half-full beers along the side.

            “Don’t rat out Koutarou like that,” he said, taking a lazy sip from his beer. “I got his back.”

            Oikawa finally managed to kick Bokuto away, sitting up to fix his hair with a frown on his face. “So noble,” he said under his breath, trying to flip his wet bangs out of his eyes.

            “Hello.”

            Bokuto turned around, perking up when he found Akaashi standing just outside the hot tub, two open beers dangling by his side. “Hi, Akaashi!”

            The other two said their greetings, Akaashi handing Bokuto one of his beers before climbing in, settling in next to Oikawa, across from Bokuto.

            “This is so great,” Bokuto said, pressing his back into the jets as he took a sip from his drink. “Usually we rock paper scissors for who has to run out into the cold to get the beers. Thanks so much, Akaashi.”

            Kuroo and Oikawa shared a look, Bokuto missing it as he took another sip. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the fact that he was here, enjoying his favorite part of Monday nights, with Akaashi. Everything just felt better.

            “So, Akaashi-kun.” Oikawa sat up straighter, flashing him a smile. “How are you liking the island?”

            “Bokuto-san is showing me all the beaches.” He glanced at Bokuto, his dark eyes intense in the porch light. “They’re very pretty.”

            “I heard everyone likes your photography. I haven’t seen it yet.”

            Bokuto leaned his head back, tuning them out as the three of them talked. If he looked closely, he could just see someone’s feet moving on the porch above them, their shadow flickering between the slats of the weathered deck. Around them, the June bugs had come out in full swing, their chorus rising and falling in the seagrasses as the ever-present waves roared quietly from behind the dunes. Bokuto finished his drink, hanging off the side of the hot tub as he watched the ocean shimmer underneath the path of moonlight on the water.

            There was a lull in conversation and Bokuto jumped up, asking if anyone else wanted another drink before shooting out of the water and over to the coolers, grabbing one for him and Akaashi. Iwaizumi and Daichi roped him into a conversation for a while, Bokuto keeping it going just to laugh at Daichi’s drunkenly exaggerated gestures. Another gust of wind blew and Bokuto shivered in his wet trunks, remembering the hot tub as he jogged back to the porch.

            “Did you fall in?” Kuroo asked as Bokuto slipped back under the bubbles, a flush on his face.

            “Yep,” Bokuto said, passing a now-warm beer to Akaashi, smiling sheepishly. “The cooler got me.”

            “We were just telling Akaashi-kun about the guest we had a few weeks ago,” Oikawa said, his voice slightly louder than usual. “The one who screamed every time she got in a boat, remember her?”

            Something touched Bokuto’s foot and he jumped slightly, glancing at Akaashi across from him. He just sank into the water, only the top of his nose and his eyes visible as he stared back at Bokuto, eyes wide in innocence.

            “Uh.” Akaashi’s foot nudged against his own again, running up his ankle. “Yeah, I remember her.”

            “I thought Iwaizumi’s eyes were going to pop out of his head when she tried out the sailboat,” Kuroo said, laughing at the thought.

            “Sounds bad,” Akaashi said, his ankle now hooked around Bokuto’s. “Did she go out in the water with you, Bokuto?” He slowly brushed up against Bokuto’s calf, his touch light as he kept moving higher.

            Bokuto’s eyes widened, glancing at Oikawa and Kuroo before looking back at Akaashi. He just raised an eyebrow, watching him with the same expressionless face.

            “Um.” Bokuto set his beer down untouched on the porch railing. _God_. He shifted in his seat, adjusting himself under the water. “Nah, we realized pretty quick what was going on.”

            “Yeah, the screaming helped clue us in,” Kuroo said.

            “God, do you remember what Daichi said about her at the outside bar?” Oikawa said. He heaved himself out of the hot tub, dripping on the porch as he held out a hand to pull Kuroo out. “Let’s go remind him.”

            Kuroo climbed out, shooting Bokuto a grin before wandering for the fire behind them, Oikawa’s voice drifting back to them in the night.

            Bokuto and Akaashi were left in silence for a few moments, Akaashi watching him as the porch light glowed in a halo over his head. The crickets swelled in the absence Oikawa and Kuroo left.

            “It’s getting a little hot,” Akaashi said after a beat, eyes flicking to the rows of sliding doors lining the porch before sliding back to Bokuto. “Do you want to get out?”

            “S-sure,” Bokuto said, following Akaashi out of the hot tub and over to the railing. They rested their elbows on the worn wood, facing the dunes, the ocean peeking out over them in a quiet ripple.

            “It must be nice to wake up and have the ocean right here,” Akaashi said, glancing up at the stars peppered across the sky.

            “The ocean is never really that far away anywhere on the island,” Bokuto said. “But it’s pretty great,” he said, shooting Akaashi a grin. Akaashi smiled back, slipping his hand in Bokuto’s. Somebody shouted over by the fire and they both glanced over, a burst of chatter floating towards them. Akaashi’s hand felt warm in his own.

            “I liked your room,” Akaashi said, turning back to Bokuto. “I could tell exactly which bed was yours.”

            Bokuto flushed, remembering how he left his sheets tangled in a mess at the foot of his bed after his alarm went off, his pillows probably thrown every which way. “It’s not usually that messy,” he said, squeezing Akaashi’s hand.

            “Alright,” Akaashi said, giving him a laugh. He squeezed back, his hand pale against Bokuto’s in the moonlight. They were quiet for a moment, listening to the talk around the fire behind them.

            “Have you ever seen my room?” Akaashi said, standing up straight, tugging Bokuto with him.

            Bokuto’s stomach took another flip, his heart soaring as he gripped Akaashi’s hand in his own. “No. I haven’t.”

            “Do you want to see it?”

            Akaashi looked up at him with those dark eyes, watching him with quiet intensity. Without thinking, Bokuto pulled him closer, bending down to place a kiss to Akaashi’s lips. Akaashi pressed back softly, his hand coming to the waistband of his trunks, his fingers making small circles on his hips as he kissed him with slow, languid movements.

            Someone whooped, giving a wolf whistle, and Bokuto pulled back, suddenly aware of how little they were wearing outside so close to everyone else.

            “Yes,” he said quickly, hand coming to lace with Akaashi’s again. “I really want to see your room.”

            A breeze blew in towards the ocean, Akaashi shivering as he pulled Bokuto off the porch, leading them across the sandy shortcut and up to Main Street. The streets were empty this late at night without any of the tourists around, Akaashi quickly pulling him towards the print shop and the tiny apartment above it.

            “I didn’t know there was a whole apartment up here,” Bokuto said, awe in his voice as they snuck up the stairs in the dark. Akaashi fumbled with the keys to his door, finally letting it swing open after a moment.

            “Yeah,” he said, kicking his flip flops off at the door and stepping in to let Bokuto pass. “Takeda said nobody has used it in a while.”

            There was a tiny kitchen tucked away in the corner, the fridge, sink, and stove shoved together with a small counter. There was a love seat situated next to a TV in the middle of the room, a small hallway leading to two doors down the hall.

            “Let’s go,” Akaashi said, his hand grabbing his wrist before tugging him down the hall and into the door on the left. As he swung the door open, Bokuto’s eyebrows raised, taking in Akaashi’s bedroom.

            It was fairly large, most of the space taken up by a king sized bed by the window, covered in a white comforter, seeming to glow in the moonlight casting in from the drawn curtains. A desk sat in the corner, a sleek computer taking up most of the space. The walls were dotted with landscape photographs, some of the beach, some of scenery he’d never seen before.

            Akaashi went right to the bed, hopping up and laying against the fluffy pillows, gesturing for Bokuto to follow. He climbed up after him, unsure how to proceed until Akaashi took his chin softly, guiding him down to kneel between Akaashi’s legs, until they were kissing on the bed, just like that.

            Bokuto let out a shallow breath, moving closer until he could lean over Akaashi, one hand propped against the pillows, the other moving to trace the soft hair at the nape of Akaashi’s neck.

            Akaashi’s hand ran down Bokuto’s side, finding their way up his back, his fingers cool and dry as they traced up his spine. Bokuto kissed him harder, his own hand trailing across Akaashi’s chest. The room was quiet except for the sound of them kissing, Bokuto losing himself in the feeling as they moved against each other.

            After a while Akaashi’s hands started to travel down, playing briefly at the waistband of his swim trunks before dipping lower, tugging insistently on them until Bokuto sat up, kicking them off himself.

            Akaashi looked up at him from the pillows, his eyes searching his in the moonlight before he gave him a soft smile, pulling Bokuto closer again. He hung his arms around Bokuto’s neck, pulling him down until he could kiss the skin under his throat, mouthing against his neck.

            Bokuto exhaled, closing his eyes as Akaashi’s hands wandered down his chest. Every nerve seemed to be on fire, his skin hot wherever Akaashi touched. He tugged at Akaashi’s own swim trunks, Akaashi lifting his hips to help him out, kicking them off onto the floor as Bokuto leaned down again, pressing against him as they kissed. Akaashi’s hands came between them, giving Bokuto one soft, experimental stroke.

            Bokuto sat up, sitting back on his heels. He was breathing heavily, Akaashi doing the same as he looked up at him from his pillows.

            “Is this okay?” Akaashi said, biting his lip. Bokuto closed his eyes, nodding once.

            “Sorry,” he said, still sitting over Akaashi’s knees. “I’ve never touched another guy’s penis before, you know?”

            Akaashi snorted, sitting up on the bed across from him. “That’s okay,” he said. He sat back, regarding Bokuto for a moment. He looked amused by Bokuto’s bluntness. “We don’t have to.”

            Bokuto put his hand down on Akaashi’s hip, tracing the tan line where his swim trunks had been. “I really, really, want to,” he said, giving him a grin.

            “Okay.” Akaashi blinked up at him, falling back onto the bed, pulling Bokuto with him. He had his hands on his lower back, pulling him closer as they kissed again, pulling harder until Bokuto gave up kneeling over him, letting their bodies lay on top of each other instead. Bokuto drew in a sharp breath as Akaashi pushed his hips forward to meet his, arms circling Bokuto’s neck as he kissed him in a hard line across his jaw.

            “God.” Bokuto pulled away for a second, out from under Akaashi’s arms, before leaning down again, kissing him hard as he ground down against him. Akaashi met him eagerly, their kisses turning frantic as Akaashi reached between them to stroke Bokuto again.

            “God, Akaashi,” he said, breathless as they moved against each other. Akaashi was quiet, his eyes closed as Bokuto pulled away slightly to try to wrap a hand around his cock.

            Bokuto paused for a second, double thinking how he was supposed to pull. He tried to remember how he liked to touch himself, but that would be in the opposite direction, right? And they were kind of sandy. What if Bokuto trapped a few grains of sand under his hands and they started scraping against Akaashi’s—ugh. He was going kind of soft just thinking about it. Maybe they should regroup in the shower.

            Underneath him, Akaashi moved slightly, looking for friction against Bokuto’s hand. _He_ wasn’t having any trouble staying hard. Bokuto laid down on his side, trying to get a better angle as he started giving him slow, hard strokes. Akaashi closed his eyes and Bokuto leaned over, placing a sloppy kiss to the side of his mouth while trying to keep pace.

            It was quiet for a few moments, Akaashi _really_ silent now as Bokuto faltered, unsure if he was doing the right thing. Bokuto was always loud—he had no trouble telling his partner how good everything felt. Did Akaashi not like it?

            Bokuto paused, looking down at Akaashi’s features as he lay haphazardly over his white pillows. His hair was pushed messily up at the back, a dark contrast to the bedding around him.

            “Is this okay?” Bokuto said, biting his lip.

            Akaashi’s eyes fluttered open, looking a bit glassy as he focused on Bokuto watching him. “Yeah,” he said breathlessly, a hand going down to wrap around Bokuto’s, setting a faster pace as Akaashi moved Bokuto’s hand over his cock. His eyes drifted closed again, his breathing starting to get shallower.

            _God!_ Bokuto felt all his blood running south, pressing his body closer against his. “Akaashi,” Bokuto said, leaning down to press an insistent kiss against his lips, his free hand tracing Akaashi’s collarbone.

            Akaashi shifted, pushing Bokuto back against the bed. He moved out of Bokuto’s grip, falling on top of him as he kissed him back feverishly, straddling Bokuto’s hips. He kissed a line down Bokuto’s jaw, down his chest, Bokuto’s breath hitching as he worked lower, pressing one final kiss below his navel before taking Bokuto in his hand, working his lips sloppily up the side of his cock.

            Bokuto sucked in a breath as Akaashi finally finished teasing him, taking him in completely.

            “God, that feels—yeah…”

            Akaashi glanced up, eyes meeting Bokuto’s, and Bokuto swore, if he could get any harder, he would. He dropped his head against the pillows, groaning as Akaashi kept going. “Keep…yeah,” he stuttered, squeezing his eyes shut.

            Akaashi pulled away for a second before taking Bokuto in again, faster than before. Bokuto moaned, hands going to Akaashi’s hair, pushing his head down slightly in a fast rhythm. Akaashi put a hand on his thigh, fingernails digging into him.

            “Akaashi,” Bokuto said sharply, his breath coming out shallow. Sweat was lining the backs of knees, the crease of his elbows, anywhere his skin was touching the sheets underneath him. Akaashi quickened his pace, pulling away as Bokuto’s muscles clenched, stroking down his length slowly as Bokuto rode it out in waves. Before he could move, Akaashi was already kneeling over him, breath hitching slightly as he finished himself off, quiet even now.

            “Wow.” Bokuto pulled Akaashi down, giving him a series of pecks across the lips. “That was great.”

            “It was nice,” Akaashi said, giving Bokuto one soft kiss before sitting back up.

            “ _Really_ nice!” Bokuto said, sitting up with him. “Like, you were amazing.”

            Akaashi slid off the bed, shooting him a look as he headed for the door. “You were nice too, Bokuto,” he said, before opening the door across the hall, Bokuto glimpsing a toilet and a sink squeezed tightly together before he was closing the door behind him. Bokuto let his feet dangle off the side of the bed, swinging them slightly as he listened to the faucet run. When Akaashi came back into the room, he climbed back onto the bed, huffing as Bokuto just looked at him.

            “Go clean up,” he said, pushing Bokuto towards the edge of the bed, trying to shove him off as Bokuto just leaned more heavily against his hands.

            “Clean up?” Bokuto said, grinning as Akaashi struggled against his dead weight. “But I want to spend more time with you before I have to leave.”

            Akaashi gave up, withdrawing so Bokuto fell against the sheets with an _oof_. His face hovered over Bokuto’s, leaning over so he could study Bokuto’s features.

            “You’re not going out this late,” he said, his stare heavy-lidded. “You can sleep here.”

            “Really?” Bokuto’s face crumpled in a grin. He’d never spent the night before.

            “Of course.” Akaashi ducked his head, his eyes flitting away from Bokuto’s. “If you want to.”

            “I want to,” Bokuto insisted, sitting up to give Akaashi’s cheek a kiss. He thrilled at the easiness of it, about how just two weeks ago Akaashi had looked at him in his car, blushing furiously as he cupped the cheek Bokuto had kissed.

            Akaashi placed a soft kiss to his lips before pushing him away, succeeding in kicking him off the bed. “Then go clean up,” he said, already moving to click on the small fan on his desk.

            He rushed to the bathroom, heart soaring again as he glanced in the small bathtub in the room. There was a bottle of baby shampoo next to a regular bar of soap, Bokuto grinning at the fact that he used _baby_ shampoo. It felt so real to know these facts.

            Bokuto finished up quickly, hurrying back to the room to find Akaashi stretched out in bed, scrolling through his phone quietly, the screen glowing over his dark features. He looked up as Bokuto climbed up next to him, giving him a small smile as he placed his phone down on the bedside table. He pulled down the sheets, pale limbs moving in the moonlight as Bokuto happily wriggled in after him, sprawling out on his stomach, hugging a pillow to his face as he watched Akaashi settle in beside him.

            Akaashi turned towards him, knees pulled to his chest as they looked at each other, Bokuto feeling heat creeping up his cheeks at the closeness of it. Akaashi’s back was to the large window, the moonlight casting long shadows across his form, glowing against the dark of his hair. The fan hummed near the foot of the bed, steady and low in the night.

            “Hey,” Bokuto said, smiling as he caught Akaashi’s eye again.

            Akaashi scrunched his nose, giving him a small smile. “Hey,” he said quietly, barely heard over the hum of the fan. A beat of silence passed.

            “I’m sorry I wasn’t so good at…this kind of stuff,” Bokuto said softly, matching Akaashi’s voice. “I’ll try harder.”

            The fan continued to hum, the tiny apartment quiet, the two of them feeling like the only ones awake on the island. Akaashi watched him with wide eyes, shaking his head wordlessly as he placed a hand delicately over Bokuto’s back. The gesture somehow felt more intimate than anything they’d done that night, his palm pressed reassuringly against him, fingers splayed. Bokuto could feel the soft heat radiating from his palm.

            “No,” Akaashi said quietly. “You don’t have to feel that way.”

            “But I’m not as good as you.”

            Akaashi shook his head again, eyes still watching Bokuto. “It’s not about that,” Akaashi said, his thumb working small circles across Bokuto’s back. “I don’t care.”

            “But I want to make you feel good, too,” Bokuto insisted. He closed his eyes, realizing his voice had gotten louder. “Everyone else can do it,” he said, his brow furrowing.

            Bokuto could feel Akaashi’s eyes scanning his expression, his face so close to his. He opened his mouth, lips parted for a moment, collecting his thoughts. His hand slid to the nape of Bokuto’s neck, playing softly with a few strands of his hair.

            “That comes with time,” he said quietly. “Nobody knows how to do that at first.” He paused, his hand stilling on Bokuto’s back. “And I liked what we did today.”

            “Really?” Bokuto grinned, running his hand across the bedsheets as Akaashi nodded. “I asked Oikawa for advice about it,” he admitted, blurting it out. “I tried to ask Iwaizumi how to get to third base with boys and he butted in.”

            Akaashi’s brow crinkled at the thought, laughing softly as Bokuto grinned at him. “That sounds awful.”

            “It was,” Bokuto said. “It was the worst mistake of my entire life.”

            “Of your entire life,” Akaashi deadpanned. He closed his eyes, his hand still resting softly on Bokuto’s back.

            “It really was,” Bokuto insisted.

            Akaashi didn’t say anything. Just kept his eyes closed, the wrinkles on his brow smoothing out.

            “Goodnight, Akaashi,” Bokuto said, closing his eyes as well. The fan still whirred from the desk, cooling Bokuto off as he snuggled deeper into the sheets.

            “Goodnight,” Akaashi said.

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

            When Bokuto woke up the next morning, he found Akaashi curled up on his side, head tucked in his arms as he slept. He smiled, sitting up to try to find the swim trunks he’d thrown on the floor the night before. After he had managed to pull them on, stumbling once in the unfamiliar room, he heard a small noise behind him, turning around to find Akaashi sitting up in bed, watching him.

            “Good morning!” Bokuto chirped, throwing himself back onto the bed, bouncing slightly on the mattress, his head resting by Akaashi’s legs.

            Akaashi just hummed in response, his hand going to Bokuto’s hair, running through the strands softly. Bokuto closed his eyes, sinking into the white bed.

            “It’s like I’m your pet dog,” Bokuto said, laughing as Akaashi absentmindedly scratched his ear as Bokuto shifted on the bed.

            Akaashi rubbed his eyes, still looking half asleep. “You’d be the worst dog,” Akaashi said, his voice still raspy from sleep. “Always wanting walks early in the morning.”

            “I would be the best dog,” Bokuto said, sitting up on the bed. “You could give me baths with baby shampoo. My fur would be baby shampoo fresh.”

            Akaashi sighed, Bokuto just grinning at him as he sat across from him on the bed.

            “Spying on other people’s toiletries, Bokuto?”

            “I wasn’t spying!” Bokuto inched closer, smiling right in Akaashi’s face. “It was right there for my eyes to see them.”

            Akaashi made a noncommittal noise, blinking sleepily. “Right.”

            “I think it’s cute that you use baby shampoo,” Bokuto said, leaning over to wrap his arms around Akaashi, trapping him against his chest. Akaashi squirmed slightly and Bokuto laughed, squeezing tighter as he pinned Akaashi’s arms to his side, leaning over to sniff his hair. “My boyfriend smells like fresh baby.”

            “Don’t say it like that,” Akaashi said, rolling his eyes even as he was trapped in Bokuto’s arms.

            Bokuto just laughed again, burying his nose in Akaashi’s messy hair. Eventually Akaashi leaned back into Bokuto’s embrace, letting his back settle against his chest, resting his head against Bokuto’s shoulder. The fan blew faintly from the foot of the bed, ruffling the sheets as they sat there.

            Akaashi shifted, pulling his hands free to rest over Bokuto’s, his hair tickling Bokuto’s neck as he moved.

            “Boyfriends?” he said softly, his fingers tracing Bokuto’s knuckles distractedly.

            “Well, I already saw your embarrassing shampoo,” Bokuto said. “I don’t think we can come back from that.”

            “Probably not,” Akaashi said, digging his fingernail sharply into Bokuto’s knuckles.

            “Ow.” Bokuto pulled his hand away, with an exaggerated whine, shaking it out. “Alright, the shampoo is a sensitive subject, I get it.”

            Akaashi let his head fall back again against Bokuto’s shoulder, turning slightly so he was looking up at him. “I’ll be your boyfriend.”

            Bokuto felt his eyes go wide, feeling the weight of Akaashi against him, comfortable enough to be this close. “Akaashi!” he said, the word coming out louder than he meant it to.

            Akaashi pulled away slightly, turning around to face Bokuto. He put a hand to his cheek, watching him with those dark eyes before leaning over, removing his hand to give him a small kiss there. “Do you want to borrow something besides a bathing suit to walk home in?”

            Bokuto collapsed onto the mattress, giving a loud sigh. “I don’t want to walk home ever,” he said, getting his legs tangled up in the sheets.

            Akaashi patted Bokuto’s head sympathetically before getting up, slipping off the bed to rummage around in his dresser. Bokuto watched him pull on a plain pair of boxers, marveling at how intimate it felt to be laying here, part of someone’s morning routine. He rolled over onto his back, thinking that Akaashi probably stared at the same crack in the ceiling when he woke up every day.

            “Bokuto,” Akaashi said, Bokuto looking up to find him standing over him by the side of the bed. He had pulled on a plain t-shirt, the white standing out against the new tan dusting his shoulders and cheeks. “Don’t you have work soon?”

            Bokuto groaned, wriggling on the bed. “No.”

            “Come on,” he said, stepping back from the bed. “I’ll make you breakfast.”

            “Really?” Bokuto shot up, running for the doorway. “You’ll cook for me?”

            “I’ll use the toaster for you.”

            Bokuto just laughed, already heading down the hallway. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, trying to bottle up what he was feeling, putting a name to it so he could tell Kuroo what it felt like, to be here right now. He scrunched up his nose, deciding to find a word for it later as he heard Akaashi padding after him.

 

 

 

***

            **Bokuto:** too hot

            **Akaashi:** Way too hot

            **Bokuto:** dying. need ice cream.

            **Bokuto:** if i don’t respond its because i’m dead

            **Bokuto:** kuroo will kill me and use my limp body for shade

            **Akaashi:** Ice cream sounds so good

 

            Bokuto slid the porch door open, feeling himself wilt in the wave of heat that wacked him in the face as soon as he stepped outside. The humidity clung to him, sweat immediately beading across his nose and cheeks, even as he saw the sun sinking down the horizon.

            “I can’t do this,” Bokuto said, trudging across the porch and collapsing on the wooden slats next to Kuroo.

            Kuroo shifted where he lay, his laundry scattered around him, cracking open an eye to glance at Bokuto.

            “Nobody’s going to make it today,” he said, throwing his arms out across the porch in defeat. “My bathing suit didn’t even dry overnight. Too humid.”

            Bokuto groaned, flopping onto the porch deck next to Kuroo. “At least we barely had any customers today.”

            Another porch door slid open and they both looked over to see Iwaizumi shut the door behind him, grimacing as he stepped out into the heat.

            “What are you two doing out here?” he said, heading out to grab the pitcher of sun tea sitting on the picnic table by the grill.

            Bokuto just groaned louder, letting his leg flop limply against the wooden boards.

            “Our air conditioner broke,” Kuroo said, throwing an arm over his eyes.

            “On the hottest day of the year,” Iwaizumi said, shaking his head. “Why don’t you just come into our room? We’re right across the common room.”

            “Hey.” Kuroo propped himself on his elbows, peering down at Bokuto. “Why didn’t we think of that?”

            “It’s too hot to think,” Bokuto said.

            “I think my brain cells are melting,” Kuroo said, letting himself drop back down onto the wooden porch.

            “When you’re ready to come in,” Iwaizumi said, sliding open his door. “The door is always open.”

            “That requires moving,” Kuroo said from the ground.

            Iwaizumi shook his head, closing the door behind him. Bokuto closed his eyes, trying to will his limbs to move. Nothing.

            “You think the sand is hot enough to cook an egg on yet?” Bokuto said.

            “Mm.” Kuroo fanned the neck of his tank top. “You think a tourist tried it yet?”

            The porch door opened again and Kuroo rolled onto his side, rolling his eyes. “Iwa, if you want us so bad you can carry our hot, sticky bodies back—oh, hey.”

            Bokuto looked over, sitting up immediately as he caught Akaashi standing in the doorway, holding a sweating box of grocery store ice cream cones.

            “Oh my god.” He stood up, arms outstretched as he ran to the door. “Have I died from heat exhaustion and gone to heaven?”

            Akaashi scrunched his nose, allowing Bokuto to wrap him in a sticky, sweaty hug before shaking him off, holding out the box of ice cream. “I thought I’d bring you guys something cool, since your air conditioning broke.”

            “I think I love you,” Kuroo said, getting up off the floor to grab the box.

            “How many of these do I have to rub on my body before I can cool off,” Bokuto said, watching eagerly as Kuroo ripped open the box.

            “Forget that, I’m eating mine,” Kuroo said, offering the box first to Akaashi, then to Bokuto, before pulling out his own cone.

            Bokuto unwrapped his cone, moaning obscenely as the ice cream immediately began to drip. “Akaashi, you’re an angel.”

            Akaashi licked a stripe up his melting cone, rolling his eyes as Bokuto turned to him with chocolate ice cream on the tip of his nose.

            The door slid open for a third time and Iwaizumi appeared again, Oikawa peering over his shoulder. “Trade you air conditioning for some ice cream?” he said.

           

 

 

***

 

            Bokuto licked his lips, popping the last of his second ice cream cone into his mouth as he leaned against the wall of Iwaizumi’s and Oikawa’s room, reveling in the feeling of cool tile pressed against his back.

            “That was so good,” Bokuto said, staring longingly at the cone Akaashi had in his hands, who sighed before holding it out for Bokuto to taste.

            They sat on the floor, legs stretched out over the cool floor as Iwaizumi and Kuroo played something on the computer, Oikawa leaning in between them to shout directions at them periodically. Akaashi had his arm pressed against Bokuto’s, their elbows knocking as they finished the box of cones he had picked up from the convenience store up the street.

            “Really,” he said, watching the bit of strawberry ice cream smeared on the side of Akaashi’s lip. “Thank you. You’re the best.”

            Akaashi’s tongue darted out to catch the pink ice cream on his face, licking his lips before turning to Bokuto. “You owe me,” he said, his voice deadpan.

            Bokuto stretched his legs out, tapping his foot against Akaashi’s. Something on the computer made a loud crash and Oikawa shouted in surprise, Iwaizumi snickering in response. The ceiling fan whirred overhead and Akaashi sighed, sliding farther down on the floor.

            “It’s still hot,” Bokuto said, letting his head thud back against the wall. “How is that possible.”

            Akaashi let his head fall on Bokuto’s shoulder, resting his palms on the floor. Somebody knocked on the door and he closed his eyes, ignoring the way Bokuto perked up at the new visitor.

            “Suga!” Bokuto said, waving as Suga poked his head into the room, easing the door open. The three at the computer turned to look, Iwaizumi gesturing him inside as he paused the game they were playing.

            “Hey, guys.” He walked into the room, giving Akaashi an extra wave when he saw him sitting next to Bokuto. “Ukai closed the pool early because of the heat and said we could use it as long as we don’t drown.”

            “Really?” Bokuto shot up excitedly, Akaashi jerking towards the floor before catching himself. “Shit, sorry.”

            “Excellent,” Oikawa said, rubbing his hands together. “We’ll see you out there, Suga-chan.”

            “You can borrow one of my swim trunks!” Bokuto said to Akaashi, bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet.

            “I thought it was too hot to move,” Akaashi said, looking disgruntled as Bokuto gave him a hand up.

            Bokuto waved the thought away, pulling Akaashi out through the common room and into his bedroom, shouting his see-you-laters over his head. He paused only momentarily as the muggy heat of the room hit him, letting go of Akaashi’s hand to dig through the pile of clothes at the foot of his bed for an extra bathing suit.

            “How did you sleep here last night?” Akaashi said, sitting on the edge of Bokuto’s bed, fanning himself as he watched Bokuto sift around.

            Bokuto shrugged, coming up with his blue swim trunks and throwing them in Akaashi’s direction before climbing up onto his bed, collapsing onto the covers.

            “I didn’t sleep,” he said, throwing his arms across the bed. “I just sweat a lot.”

            “I don’t have air conditioning either,” Akaashi said, playing with the waistband of the swim trunks. “But you can come sweat a lot at my place instead. I have a fan.”

            Bokuto rolled over onto his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows to give Akaashi a smirk. “Let’s go sweat a lot at your place right now.”

            “Stop.” Akaashi rolled his eyes, letting his hand rest on Bokuto’s back, just there, connecting them even in the heat. Bokuto let out a contented sigh, stretching out on the bed, letting himself melt into the sheets.

            “Akaashi,” Bokuto said, then paused. Akaashi had put a hand to his back before, the first time he had been to his room, the gesture so simple but so intimate to Bokuto. He’d never been with someone who could make him feel so relaxed and connected with such a small act. He didn’t know how to explain it to Akaashi, that contentment to be with someone even in the lazy summer heat. Akaashi paused, waiting for Bokuto to finish his sentence.

            “Will you rub my back?” he said instead, mumbling into the sheets as Akaashi sighed, his thumb tracing small circles against his shoulder blade.

            “We’ll never catch up to everyone at the pool,” Akaashi said, his voice hovering somewhere above Bokuto’s head as he let out a blissful sigh, burying his face in the mattress.

            “Mmmfgh.”

            Akaashi’s hand traveled lightly between his shoulders, down his back, making smooth circles across the fabric of his shirt. Bokuto could feel his bones dissolving into the mattress, Akaashi quiet and steady above him. He fell into a soothing rhythm, Bokuto closing his eyes as he let the summer heat envelope him.

            After a few minutes Akaashi moved his hand to the back of Bokuto’s neck, fingers drifting lightly through his hair as he shifted on the bed. “Ready to go?” he said quietly, his breath a murmur next to Bokuto’s ear.

            “What if we just keep doing this all night?” Bokuto said, moving his head to the side to look up at Akaashi with puppy dog eyes.

            Akaashi just laughed quietly, giving Bokuto’s head a soft tap before standing up, picking up Bokuto’s old swim trunks to change into. Bokuto propped himself up on his elbows, watching him with the biggest, stupidest grin he couldn’t manage to wipe from his face even if he tried.

 

 

***

 

            “Look out!”

            Bokuto paddled a few strokes to the edge of the pool, holding onto the ledge as he looked up at the diving board, just making out Iwaizumi’s silhouette against the dusk. He bounced a few times, high above the water, before hitting the water with a tiny splash, the last rays of pink reflecting off the ripples.

            Akaashi kicked his feet from his perch on the edge of the pool, splashing Bokuto in the process. A burst of laughter carried across the water, Bokuto turning to glance at the three heads treading in the middle of the pool. He could just make out Oikawa’s perfectly messy hair in the dark, his voice bouncing across the water in distorted, bubbly laughter.

            “This is nice,” Akaashi said, kicking his feet again against the water. Bokuto grinned up at him, hoisting himself up out of the pool so he could sit beside him.

            “You’re not even putting my bathing suit to work,” Bokuto said, running a finger across the dry fabric of the blue swim trunks Akaashi had on, the waist bagging slightly as he leaned over the pool.

            Akaashi shrugged, letting his hand rest on Bokuto’s knee. There it was again. Bokuto leaned back on his palms, closing his eyes as he felt his heart swell with the simple gesture. They just sat there for a while, watching Iwaizumi flip off the diving board, hitting the water with a splash each time that sent waves rippling over their legs. Oikawa and Suga’s conversation drifted in snatches across the dusky pool, their voices lilting quietly in the dark.

            “Look,” Bokuto said, pointing across the pool, by the empty guard’s shack. In the growing darkness, the fireflies had come out, blinking intermittently as the crickets chirped around them.

            “Fireflies,” Akaashi said, allowing Bokuto to lend him a hand, pulling him up to his feet. Bokuto skipped over to the guard shack, catching one in his hand, holding it out for Akaashi to watch it glow between his fingers. It walked to the very tip of his thumb, lighting up once before spreading its wings to take flight, buzzing up over their heads, Akaashi watching it go.

            “I can never hold onto them,” Bokuto said, Akaashi laughing softly as he let his hands fall to his sides. They watched each other for a moment before Bokuto closed the distance between them, pressing his lips softly against Akaashi’s.

            The kiss was slow and warm, like they carried the listless heat of the sun with them into the night. Akaashi pulled away, letting his hands rest on Bokuto’s hips, just there, letting Bokuto gently know that he was here.

            “Here I come!”

            The diving board snapped and a splash resounded across the pool, a few voices clipped in surprise floating back to the guard shack before dying down again, a low murmur of conversation replacing it.

            “That’s it!” Bokuto said, taking Akaashi by the shoulders.

            “What?”

            Akaashi let his hands slip from Bokuto’s waist, his eyes widening in surprise for a moment, looking startled.

            “That’s how I feel,” Bokuto said simply.

            They stood there for a moment, the crickets chirping around them softly, before Akaashi looked up at him questioningly.

            “How you feel?”

            “When you do this.” Bokuto took Akaashi’s hands, settling them back around his waist, his palms warm against his bare skin. “You’re always just—there. Just resting on me. A hand on my back, or anything.”

            Akaashi furrowed his brow, one thumb working absentmindedly against Bokuto’s hip before he looked up at him, his features softening. “How do you feel about it?”

            Bokuto licked his lips, unable to keep the shine out of his eyes. “It just feels like—here I come! Geronimo! I’m jumping in!” He put his hands over Akaashi’s, letting them rest there. “Like you splashed into my life and after the ripples settled you’re just here. Everything’s the same except it feels more exciting after jumping.”

            Akaashi breathed out through his nose, letting his forehead rest against Bokuto’s shoulder, his hands circling around his waist. “Bokuto,” he said, his breath warm against his skin. He laughed softly again, fitting himself comfortably against Bokuto.

            The diving board sprang again, the voices at the pool swelling in acknowledgement before settling down, replaced by the calm splashes of someone swimming laps. The crickets hummed over the sound, Bokuto resting his chin comfortably over Akaashi’s head.

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is korramynaga if you want to talk about bokuaka or anything really

**Author's Note:**

> up next, bokuto meets akaashi and then promptly makes him touch a fish


End file.
